


The Island

by Mic_RiddyBanon



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-09-29
Packaged: 2018-02-04 01:37:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 54,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1762009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mic_RiddyBanon/pseuds/Mic_RiddyBanon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Would love to see your take on what would happen if Slade took Oliver, Felicity, Lance, Laurel, Sara, Thea, Digg & Moira to the island to relive Oliver's personal hell." Story Bunny by KenyanCougar. Complete mixture of angst, friendship, hurt/comfort, team fic, family, & if the Muse is willing – Olicity fluff. Reveal fic & onw. enjoy! - Roy will be joining soon too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Amazo

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kenyancougar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kenyancougar/gifts).



> The Island
> 
> Story Bunny provided by KenyanCougar – this story is for you!  
> "Would love to see your take on what would happen if Slade took Oliver, Felicity, Lance, Laurel, Sara, Thea, Digg and Moira to the island to relive Oliver's personal hell."
> 
> Chapter 1 – The Amazo
> 
> AN: Thanks go primarily to KenyanCougar for the wonderful plot provided for me to play with! (Especially as it was provided the day before my birthday lol.) Rennie75 thank you as always my friend for your wonderful beta job & for giving me ongoing confidence. (This was first posted on FF.net so the dates were for on there lol.)
> 
> AN2: Whilst this fic starts with just Sara & Oliver's POV it will go on to include many others too.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or anything related to it in any way shape or form, all legal rights to Arrow belong to CW. I am only playing in their sandbox and take no profit but pleasure from this fic.

_**Sara's POV** _

Sara hated this place more than any other. The Amazo. This was where she had come closest to losing her entire being. Despite everything she'd done since then this was the place it had all begun, where Ivo had twisted her, and where she had let him.

She knew from the second that she recognised the Amazo that they were in trouble. Slade was in control of the freighter, had been for years now. That place had been a living nightmare with Ivo in control and she knew that Slade would only have made it worse. Sara was worried for Oliver, it was taking him longer to come round than the rest of them; but then she knew that Slade would have given him more of whatever sedative it was he'd chosen to use this time. Slade knew as well as she did that Oliver had a high tolerance to medications and he would have adjusted for that.

Sara was also worried about the effect that being back in these cells, again, would have on him. Sara knew that Oliver wouldn't even have told Diggle and Felicity much about what had happened on the Island, let alone what had happened here. But she knew, she was there with him for some of it, she saw the aftermath in his eyes. Oliver had been tortured here by Ivo; and it was also where he first went up against Slade and was tortured by him.

Sara would never forget the sounds of Oliver screaming over the radio as Slade had tortured him using the generator for the electricity. That was the first time she had truly had to decide if one person's life was more important than another's. She remembered that to start with she had refused to do it, to make the trade. Sara had lied to Slade about the engineer making safely to the Island. But Slade had heard the lie in her voice and in response had turned up the electricity, she still blamed herself for that. Sara had had nightmares of Oliver's screams for a long time afterwards, still did at times now if she was being honest – and being back here certainly wasn't going to help.  _And it will be even harder on Oliver,_ Sara thought darkly.

Just because she wasn't together with Oliver any more didn't she didn't still care for him. Sara would always care for Oliver, just as she knew he would always care for Laurel. But all they really had was the past. She and Oliver had both come to accept that they couldn't move forwards until they let go of the past. The one thing that Slade was incapable of doing it seemed.

Oliver was taking too long to come round now and Sara could see that Felicity and Diggle were thinking the same. Felicity was closest to him and Sara couldn't help but wonder if that was by design. They had still been unable to discover if Slade knew that Felicity was Oliver's heart.

**_Oliver's POV_ **

Oliver came to in a metal cell on a freighter, again. He was getting really fed up of regaining consciousness only to discover he was stuck in a cell.

"Oliver!"  _Wait, that was Felicity's voice what was Felicity doing here?_  This place looked familiar. It only took him a minute to realize this was the one cell he really did  _not_  want to wake up in, he was back on the Amazo - and he wasn't alone. He looked around and saw that Felicity, Diggle, and Sara were also in cells, but far enough away from each other that they couldn't reach one another.

Apart from them though Oliver could only see guards with bigger builds than Diggle. Oliver knew all too well though that size was not the important thing in a fight, speed and skill were. You only had to go up against Sara once to learn that! Before he had a chance to say anything however Slade walked in, surrounded by his mirakuru enhanced army. He was shocked by who else was with them though as first his mom, then Walter came into sight, being pushing forward at gunpoint.

"I told you I would make you completely despair kid, before I killed you." Slade took a step to the side as he spoke revealing Thea standing behind him, tears running down her face. "Sara, you brought Ivo to this Island in the first place, you are part of the reason  _ **she is dead**_." Slade roared at Sara, making Thea cry all the more. Slade called to the guys standing by the doorway "Bring hers in too." He instructed them before turning to stare at Sara.

"Sara!" Lance cried out in relief as he saw his younger daughter.

Oliver knew that Lance was worried about Sara being caught up in this too, but he could understand the Detective's relief – after all, Lance knew what Sara was capable of. Oliver knew that if he was in Lance's place he would be relieved to see Sara too – heck he  _was_  relieved to see her. Much as he wished she wasn't caught up in all this Oliver knew that she was as much a part of it as him and that their chances for escape were much better together than alone.

"Oh and I almost forgot..." Slade gave a smile that truly scared Oliver before he nodded to the guys at the door again and Laurel was brought in at gunpoint. "You nearly wore that photo of her out kid staring at it all the time, did you think I'd forget?" Slade was laughing then.

At one time Oliver would have done nearly anything to make the man he'd called brother laugh, but now he despaired of the sound. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to react or respond to Slade beyond the initial half-pace forward he'd taken on seeing his family stuck in this place too. One place and time he had  _never_  wanted them to know about.

"Just like I didn't forget what happened the first time we were on this freighter together. I'm sure you can remember the feel of the electricity coursing through your body Oliver." Slade continued revealing things Oliver had never wanted his family and friends to know about.

Oliver stayed quiet, refusing to rise to Slade's bait, his taunts.

"Or maybe I'm wrong? Maybe I need to refresh your memory kid. I see from Sara's face  _she_  hasn't forgotten the sound of your screams. Perhaps we should treat the rest of your family and friends to the joys of that particular sound too kid. Shall I get the generator brought down here?"

"You can do what you want to me Slade. Leave them out of it, this has nothing to do with them it's between you and me."

" _ **Wrong** **!**_  It has everything to do with them!" Slade shouted back angrily. "You care about these people. I told you that caring makes you weak, makes you vulnerable. But you wouldn't listen would you kid. So this is all down to you!  _You_  brought them into it. I told you you would not die until you have known true despair – well that time is getting closer my friend. You might have managed to survive here on your own, but let's see how good you are at keeping all of  _them_  alive too." Slade finished ominously.

"It's time for you to go back kid … to Lian Yu."


	2. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you so very much to all of you who have already shown your wonderful support with kudos & reviews!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Arrow, the CW does.

" _ **Wrong**_ _! It has everything to do with them!" Slade shouted back angrily. "You care about these people. I told you that caring makes you weak, makes you vulnerable. But you wouldn't listen would you kid. So this is all down to you! You brought them into it. I told you you would not die until you have known true despair – well that time is getting closer my friend. You might have managed to survive here on your own, but let's see how good you are at keeping all of them alive too." Slade finished ominously._

"It's time for you to go back kid … to Lian Yu."

_**Third Party POV** _

Slade had forced them all out of the boats onto the beach at gunpoint and had guards in several other boats too as a back-up. Oliver and Sara had quickly made the decision for the group to head to the fuselage. They agreed that it was unlikely Slade would have left things as they had been when Oliver was rescued and it was important to find out what things and traps he'd left them.

Walter and Lance both realized that Oliver was not in the mood to talk about the torture Slade had revealed and had accepted that, as did his Team of course. However Moira, Thea, and Laurel were determined to ask him about it, much to Oliver's annoyance.  _Couldn't they see he wasn't comfortable talking about this?!_

Moira gave up before the others, at Walter's urging, she was struggling hugely with feelings of guilt, it was  _her fault_ that Oliver had been caught up in all that. If Robert and she hadn't agreed to the Undertaking, hadn't allowed themselves to get embroiled in it all, then Oliver would never have been stranded here and had to go through  _t_ _hat_.

Even though Moira had heard the doctor's report of Oliver's condition upon his return she had never truly stopped to think about what he'd been through to cause  _that_ she realized – and even if she had thought about it Moira doubted she would ever have considered electric shock torture! No wonder he had reacted so strongly when she tried to shake him awake that first night back home. Moira had always been concerned about that, had been unable to get it out of her head, but now for the first time she could understand just  _why_ he had reacted so fast and with almost deadly force.

Laurel was feeling left out, again. She didn't understand why Oliver continued to lie to her. Even when he was telling the truth he was still concealing far more than he ever let on. He had admitted to being tortured in that damn polygraph, yet still he had never explained exactly what had happened, never mentioned being shocked, never mentioned Slade for that matter.  _How can I trust him when he won't even be honest with me?_

Even now he was holding back, refusing to tell them just what had happened. For goodness sake they'd just been faced with the genuine possibility of watching him being shocked again!  _And still he won't talk … and Sara is just as bad._ Laurel couldn't believe that Sara had been there, had known what had happened and yet never talked about it. Why couldn't,  _wouldn't,_ her own sister be honest with her?!

Thea was feeling scared and lost. She'd seen the struggles her brother had gone through upon his return. She clearly remembered him saying that he needed to get better at talking about what happened to him but that he wasn't ready. It seemed now he never  _would_ be ready to talk willingly.  _I can't believe_ _we just found out more in a few minutes from this psycho than we have in two_  years  _from Oliver!_

At least now she could understand why Oliver had reacted the way he did to Mr Wilson showing up in their home. Thea had thought she'd understood when he'd kidnapped her, but now, knowing what he'd actually  _done_ to her brother … well it was no wonder Oliver had been as stiff as he had with Mr Wilson, or Slade as she now thought of him having decided he didn't deserve the respect of a title.

Despite that Thea knew that enough was enough. Secrets has been tearing her family apart for years now and every time she thought it was over, that the secrets were all gone, more came out. This had to stop! Oliver needed to talk to them,  _properly_ talk to them.  _Whether he wants to or not!_ Thea thought determinedly. It hadn't taken her long to realize they weren't going to survive this Island of Ollie's (and Sara's) nightmares unless they worked together, but without trust that just wasn't going to happen – and she couldn't trust without knowing the truth, the real truth this time. It wasn't as if he had even explained where they were going, just said something about a fuselage?

Thea was walking as far from Moira as she could manage and a fair way from Oliver too. She still hadn't completely forgiven him for keeping the secret about her father from her, even as she acknowledged that it had not been his secret to tell, let alone all the new secrets they were still discovering. Thankfully though Sara was close by so when she heard the definite 'click' she turned instantly and moved fast enough to stop Thea from taking another step.

" **Don't Move!** " Sara ordered, making it crystal clear that this was  _not_ a time to argue, despite seeing the look of confusion on Thea's face. "Ollie!" Sara yelled loudly, letting her concern and the urgency show in her voice.

Oliver was by Sara's side in an instant, he knew that if she'd called out like that then there had to be a  _very_ good reason – especially on this Island. It took him only a second to realize what had happened, and thankfully Diggle and Felicity were right behind him.

"Digg, Sara get the rest of them back, Felicity tell her what I'm going to do." Oliver ordered without stopping to explain what was going on. Moira, Walter, and Laurel were surprised to see how fast they obeyed without the need for questions or explanations.  _How did they know what he was going to do anyway?_ Laurel thought. Lance was only slightly less surprised but he recognised something familiar about the way they were working together, they were clearly a team somehow.

Thea was too panicky to register much of anything – Sara and Ollie's reaction to that click sound had her freaked out - which is why Oliver had told Felicity to speak to her. Oliver knew that Felicity was the one who would be able to get his sister to calm down enough for him to do what was needed if he was going to save her life. Somehow she had that calming effect on people.

"Hey Thea, it's going to be okay, trust us." Felicity said in a calm tone trying to reassure the confused young woman.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on, why can't I move?" Thea replied in a tone of panic, the way the others were behaving and the looks in their eyes were scaring her.

Felicity looked at Sara for help, how was she supposed to tell Thea just what had happened? Sara looked as unsure as she felt though.  _Great, she chooses_ now  _t_ _o lose her confidence!_ Felicity took a deep breath before answering Thea.

"You've stepped on a landmine Thea, but it's going to be okay Oliver is going to fix it, don't worry." Felicity had tried for a reassuring tone but it was evident it she still needed to work on that one.

"A landmine!" Thea shrieked loudly. "How on earth is this going to be okay?! I'm gonna die aren't I, I'm going to die!"

"Thea, Thea, look at me, it  _is_ going to be okay Thea alright, Oliver knows what he's doing and he's not going to let anything bad happen to you."  _Bit late,_ Felicity's mind added absently, her mind going back to how she'd felt when the same thing had happened to her.  _At least I knew who Oliver truly was when I stepped on that mine - just how many mines are still on this Island anyway?_

"Thea, trust me, I  _have_ done this before okay Speedy – and it was Felicity who trod on a mine last time and she's fine aren't you Felicity?!" Oliver knew that dropping the nugget about Felicity treading on a mine - meaning that she must have been on Lian Yu before too - would peak Thea's curiosity, he just hoped it would be enough to take the edge off her panic.

"Yup, just peachy." Felicity responded.

Oliver was now in position high above them in a tree, having already identified a strong enough vine by that point, but he needed Thea to be calm enough for him to act before he could do what Felicity kept referring to as his 'Tarzan act'. The minute he'd revealed about Felicity being on the Island Thea had started to calm down slightly, as he'd expected, and she was now staring at Felicity.

"Ready?" He asked his Team.

"We're all good here man." Diggle answered and Sara nodded in agreement.

They'd moved the rest of the group far enough away to be a good distance clear of the explosion going on the previous mines. The others had objected initially but Lance had taken one look at Sara's and Diggle's faces before joining in the effort to keep Moira, Walter, and Laurel back. He hadn't understand what was going on to start with, but trusted the others enough to know that whatever they were doing it was for good reason.

The minute Oliver had said "landmine" though Lance had been highly relieved he  _had_  trusted them! Moira was still fighting them, but Diggle was physically holding her back and was refusing to budge.  _Good thing he is built like a brick house._ Lance thought, he knew from personal experience how difficult it could be to keep a mother from her child when that child was in danger.

"Felicity, Thea?" Oliver needed to be certain, he knew they would only get one chance at this.

"Thea, you need to put your arms up and keep still okay. Oliver is going to grab you and swing you out of the way of the danger. You need to hold on and just let him do it. Alright?" Felicity spoke quietly keeping her eyes fixed on Thea's as she spoke.

Thea stayed quiet for a moment shaking slightly before swallowing and giving a slight nod, then a stronger one.  _If Oliver can do this then so can I. He survived alone in this place for five years right, so he knows what he's doing._ Thea knew she had no choice in the matter, she  _had_ to trust her brother. She took a few deep steadying breaths, copying the way she'd seen Oliver do it since his return from the island,  _from this place!_

"I'm ready Oliver." She replied in as steady a voice as she could manage.

Felicity walked quickly to the rest of the group, not daring to run as much as she really wanted to as she knew that would only scare Thea even more. Sara and Diggle both gave her looks of respect and she was grateful for that. Right now she needed the reassurance as much as the rest of them did. Even though she trusted Oliver with her life, had trusted him with her life more times than she cared to count, she knew that their Team didn't exactly have a good track record when it came to Plan A working.

"Okay, Thea, stay still and just let me take you, everybody else  _stay back_." Oliver growled the order before jumping out of the tree and grabbing hold of the vine he'd already selected.

Oliver swung through the air before grabbing Thea around the waist and swinging her out of the blast radius. He made sure to land on top of her as they were thrown to the ground by the explosion, knowing even before they landed that it was a bigger yield than the previous ones he'd dealt with. Oliver grunted softly in pain as he felt shards of shrapnel hit his back. That wasn't important right now, all that mattered was Thea!

Oliver shook his head as he got up, knowing even as he did it that it wouldn't help to clear the ringing and mild disorientation a blast always caused. He noted as he recovered his balance that Sara was the only one to be back on her feet as fast as him, although she was quickly followed by Diggle. The rest were slower to respond he registered abstractly.

"Thea? You okay?" Oliver finally let the concern show in his voice now that the immediate danger had passed. He had been more worried than he'd been willing to let on and Thea wasn't part of the Team, she wasn't used to following orders. There were too many things that could have gone wrong,  _had gone wrong_ his brain supplied in response to the pain in his back.

"I'm fine Ollie, a little squashed but okay. Thank you, you saved my life!" Thea's thanks was heartfelt. She couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Her mother and Walter quickly squashed her in their arms and she could hear her mom muttering something about "love" and "you're okay" but she wasn't really listening. Thoughts were running through her head at a thousand miles an hour, however before she had a chance to focus on even one of them she realized that Sara was speaking.

"Oliver, you're hurt." Sara noted calmly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: You know the deal, I love to hear what you think & any observations or opinions you have so please review & let me know, thank you!


	3. Stitches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you so very much to those of you who have already shown your support with follows/favs/reviews/kudos! Rennie you are a true star for your amazing turnaround on all this stuff I inundated you with – thanks loads! All mistakes are still mine.
> 
> Thoughts are in italics as always :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Arrow, the CW does.

_"Oliver, you're hurt." Sara noted calmly._

_**Third Party POV** _

"What?!" Thea responded in a panic, her brother and everyone else had been so focused on asking if she was okay and just relieved she was alive herself that she had never stopped to consider if  _he_ was okay too.

"I know Sara. It's okay Thea it's nothing." Oliver tried to calm his sister down but she wasn't listening to him.

"Relax Thea, it's not that bad, he's just got a few little shards of shrapnel that need removing okay." Sara said, she knew Oliver would agree with her assessment of his injuries – by their standards, they  _weren't_ that bad. "You're going to need a few stitches though Oliver."

"Doubt the web threads are still usable somehow Sara." Oliver said with a smile.

"Here, I have a sewing kit." Felicity scrabbled in her bag to retrieve the little mending kit. "What, I have a loose button I was going to mend at lunch." She finished defensively as she noted the looks the others were giving her.

"I know that Oliver's said it before, but you really are remarkable Felicity." Sara said, as Felicity belatedly realized that the looks they were giving her were actually looks of being impressed and she smiled in response.

"Thanks Felicity that's great." Oliver said as he took the kit from her and passed it to Sara.

Oliver was about to take off his shirt when he suddenly stopped realizing that Lance, his Mom, and Walter hadn't seen his scars at all, Laurel had only seen a few in decent light, and Thea had only seen a few too. Laurel's and Thea's reactions hadn't exactly been something he was looking to repeat either.

"Ollie, this is Lian Yu, they're going to find out soon enough." Sara commented, understanding straight away why Oliver was hesitating. It wasn't as if she was keen to show her scars to them either.

"Sara's right Oliver, it's not as if you can leave the shrapnel in there." Diggle added. He knew how hard this was for his friend. Whilst Oliver had no problems with the Team seeing his scars, in fact he almost flaunted them sometimes, he knew that Oliver had always been worried about how others would see him if they knew. Diggle also knew that Laurel had borne out that worry when Oliver had shown some of them to her **.**

Oliver nodded once in agreement before schooling his face to neutrality. Much to his surprise he could see understanding in his Mom's face. But then he supposed she knew what it was like to be forced into revealing something you didn't want anyone else to know. Oliver removed his shirt watching their faces carefully. He couldn't help wincing slightly as Sara had to help him ease it off some of the shrapnel the shirt had got caught on.

"Son, what happened to you? Walter said completely shocked as the scars were revealed, but the compassion in his face was unexpected to Oliver.

At the same time as Walter spoke the others responded with various gasps of shock and horror, comments, and questions of their own, all wanting to know just what had happened to him?!

"This Island is a dangerous place." Olive said simply. He would tell them more later, he knew he would have to now, but it could wait until they weren't out in the open.

Thea wasn't content to leave it there though and came out with the most astute comment. "Whoa, there weren't that many scars before. " _Trust her to notice that!_ Oliver thought.

"He'll explain later Thea." Felicity answered for Oliver, much to his relief – not that he knew what he was actually going to say to her when the time came to explain, but one problem at a time Oliver figured.

Oliver nodded his thanks to Felicity before turning around so that Sara would have the best light on his back to remove the shrapnel, allowing the others to see it – and his back – for the first time. Again there were sounds of horror but Oliver ignored them for now.

"Oh my goodness Oliver, there are big pieces of metal sticking out of your back! How can you say that's nothing?! Sara you said they were just  _few little shards of shrapnel'!_ Not great bit chunks of metal!" Thea was now close to hysteria, the events of the last ten minutes proving too much for her on top of being captured and marooned on the Island by Slade. She tried to take more deep breaths to calm herself and then realized what Sara was getting ready to do.

"You're not going to do that  _here_ are you?! He needs a hospital!" Thea was struggling to hold herself together and was truly scared at the thought of what Sara was about to do to her brother. It was one thing to hear them talking about stitches, but completely another to see all that metal sticking out of her brother and Sara about to remove them without even an anaesthetic or anything.

"Speedy, look around you – we're a long way from a hospital." Oliver, having turned back to answer his sister, saw the look on her face and realized that he'd spoken more sharply than he'd meant to. "It's okay, I've done this before – we both have." He finished more gently with a look at Sara to show he was referring to her.

"At least take some Tylenol" Laurel said reaching into her bag with her own look of horror on her face at what they were about to do. She couldn't believe Oliver and Sara were even considering this!  _Why weren't Diggle or Felicity protesting either, I thought they were meant to be his friends or something!_

"He doesn't use that stuff." Felicity blurted out before remembering she wasn't meant to know just  _what_ Oliver would or wouldn't do or use when injured – at least not in front of the non-Team Arrow members. She stopped too late though, and both Laurel and Moira looked sharply at her, suspicious of just  _how_ she would know that about Oliver.

"Sara, when you're ready." Oliver turned his back to them again knowing that what they were all about to see would shock them and raise yet more questions, but at least it would deflect the attention from Felicity for now.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_**Thea's POV** _

Thea still couldn't believe that Sara had just done that and Oliver hadn't even reacted apart from a slight moan when one piece of shrapnel had proved hard to remove. How could they both be so completely blasé about the whole thing? She felt completely sick and she had only had to watch! Thea noticed that neither Felicity nor Diggle had reacted to it either though, apart from Felicity wincing along with Oliver, it was like they had just expected him to carry on regardless, as if nothing had even happened to him.

Diggle she supposed she could understand, he was military – Special Forces or something – so he had probably seen his fair share of wounds and field medicine.  _Though that still doesn't explain why he would expect Oliver to react in that way._ Felicity though she couldn't understand at all! She worked in IT for goodness sakes, before becoming her brother's EA!  _How on earth was she so used to this whole bizarre thing? And the way she'd got out that sewing kit as soon as stitches had been mentioned._

Felicity had known it would be required and hadn't even hesitated to offer a mending kit for medical stitches. Also, she had known that Oliver wouldn't take the Tylenol Laurel had offered, no matter how persistent Laurel had been, both before and after Sara had done it. There was way more going on here than Thea was aware of she realized.  _As if things weren't weird enough in the first place!_

_**Oliver's POV** _

Oliver turned back to them all once Sara had finished, replacing his now torn shirt. He realized that Thea wasn't the only one looking green and knew that he would have to explain at least a little more. Much as he didn't want to scare them they needed to know, to understand, just how dangerous the Island could be. Laurel started to offer him the Tylenol again and as much as he didn't want them to focus on how Felicity knew he wouldn't use painkillers, it annoyed him to see Laurel completely disregarding Felicity's earlier comments.

"Look, the Island is dangerous, you've seen a hint of that already. You've seen my scars. In five years there were a lot of injuries and there was no choice but to deal with most of them myself. There is no hospital, no doctor, no pharmacy here, there's just you. I've had more experience of this than I ever wanted you to know about and I don't want to scare you any further but you need to understand just  _how_ dangerous the Island can be.

"But I've got Tylenol Ollie, there's no need for you to be in pain now!" Laurel insisted.

"Yes there is Laurel, those things dull your senses, slow your reactions. You've already seen how important sharp reactions are, if Sara hadn't stopped Thea from moving as fast as she did then Thea would be dead right now." Oliver hadn't intended to be so blunt, but Laurel just didn't seem to get it!

"Besides, this isn't pain Laurel, trust me." He'd meant to say that more gently, but it had come out darker than he intended. Oliver looked to Diggle and was relieved to see him nodding, it looked like he agreed bluntness was required here.

"Okay, time to get going again." Sara broke the tension much to Oliver's relief.

"Where is it we're going anyway?" His mom asked. "You said something about a … fuselage?"

"Yeah, it's where I stayed part of the time I was here. There's cover and a little shelter there. Sara's right, we need to get going, we're too vulnerable out here." Oliver answered realizing they hadn't actually explained where they were going or why.

"Vulnerable to what?" Lance queried and Oliver was pleased to see that someone other than his Team was focussed on the important things.

"To Slade Dad." Sara said, looking at Oliver with a semi-veiled look of worry that he suspected mirrored his own.


	4. Target Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support & kudos! Really appreciate it! 
> 
> Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by The CW, not me.
> 
> Please continue to make me happy with kudos and comments :-D I will continue to write as long as you want me to! Thank you!

**Chapter 4 – Target Practice**

_"Vulnerable to what?" Lance queried and Oliver was pleased to see that someone other than his Team was focussed on the important things._

_"To Slade dad." Sara said, looking at Oliver with a semi-veiled look of worry that he suspected mirrored his own._

**_Oliver's POV_ **

When they got to the fuselage Oliver found there was a long black case that hadn't been there last time he was on the Island. There was a note on the case with his name on it in Slade's writing.

_'Oliver, You managed to cover your tracks before and convince them I was lying. But let's see how well you do once they see you shoot kid.'_

Oliver could picture the smirk that would have been on Slade's face as he'd written that. He passed the note to Felicity who shared it with Diggle and Sara as he looked at the case. As soon as he read the note Oliver instantly knew without looking that the case contained a bow. But he opened it anyway to find not just any bow but the original Island bow, Shado's bow, along with the Hood which had now been removed from Oliver's jacket. Oliver had no idea  _how_ Slade had got hold of them as that bow had gone missing when he'd tried to rescue Tommy at the Undertaking, but nothing surprised him anymore when it came to the man he had once called brother.

Oliver shared a look of sadness with his Team. Sara might have been the only one who was actually there on the Island with him, but Felicity and Diggle knew him well enough to understand the significance of that bow and he knew they recognised it too even though they had only seen it that once.

"Well at least food won't be an issue now." Sara commented, trying to lighten the mood.

Oliver picked up the bow, getting the feel of it again and it was instantly so natural in his hand, like it was a part of him. For the first time since waking up in that cell, hell, even before that - since seeing Slade in the Mansion, Oliver felt at peace. With the bow he was in control, everything made sense. He picked up the quiver full of arrows that Slade had also placed in the case and strapped it on, choosing to leave the Hood there, for now, and walked back over the rest of them who were just barely inside the fuselage.

"You're not seriously going to  _use_ that?!" His mom said indignant and astounded. "You don't even know how to fire a bow – do you?" She finished less certainly as Diggle and Felicity had started laughing and even Sara was doing a poor job of smothering her own laughter. Mind you he wasn't doing much better either Oliver realised as a grin had appeared on his face too.  _How am I supposed to answer_ that  _question?!_

"Just show them man, they'll find out soon enough anyway." Diggle advised, still laughing but more quietly.

Oliver nodded knowing that Diggle was right. He wasn't happy about it, this was not the way he'd wanted them to find out. But then nothing about this had happened the way he'd wanted to. Truth be told he hadn't really wanted them to find out at all. But at least here, on this Island with his bow, he was in control – and he had a better chance of protecting them with it.

"Sara, target?" Oliver said briefly, knowing that no other reply or comment was needed to his Team. He already knew he had their support and agreement and that meant more than he could say. Diggle and Felicity were his true family, the ones he had chosen for himself.

"Sure." Sara grabbed Slade's note without hesitation and showed the back of the yellow piece of paper to the others, letting them see how small it was but not what was written on it. Their faces were a mixture of puzzlement and confusion, with dawning realisation showing on Lance's. Oliver didn't bother to say anything more, they would all see soon enough.

**_Third Party POV_ **

Sara ran off a fair distance from the fuselage jumping down into ditches and back up the other sides, still holding back most of her own skills for until after Oliver had revealed his. She scaled a tree as easily as Oliver had earlier though ignoring the murmurs of surprise coming from the uninitiated of the group. The time for secrets was over, Slade had seen to that and she was too pragmatic to waste time worrying about it now.

Sara finally stopped high up the tree and wedged the piece of paper firmly enough that it would not move until Oliver's arrow hit it. She knew that Oliver would probably be the only one able to even be able to see it now, the others' didn't have senses as highly attuned at she and Oliver did. Despite that, Sara knew that Oliver would still be able to hit it easily enough. She intended to make it what would seem like an impossible shot to those who didn't know what Oliver was capable of.

"How is he supposed to hit that, you can't even  _see_  it!" Thea objected loudly once Sara got closer to the others. "Besides, he's injured!"  _Not that you'd know it from the way he had carried on completely regardless of his injuries the minute Sara finished sewing him up!_ Thea noted to herself with bemused annoyance.

Once Sara had made it all the way back to the others (who had followed her back out of the fuselage) she moved them to one side so that they would be out of Oliver's way, but so as not to give him any clues as to the location of the target, before calling to him.

**_Oliver's POV_ **

"Okay Oliver, it's done."

Oliver came back out of the fuselage when he heard Sara's words. He had stayed inside while she went to place the target so as not to see where she went. He figured that if he was going to have to show them what he was capable of then he might as well do it properly. Oliver stood in the gap that Sara had cleared for him and smiled as he noted she'd been careful to get them to stand in such a way as to not give him any hints.

Oliver glanced around for barely a second before spotting the piece of yellow paper, he drew an arrow, nocked it, and fired hitting the scrap and knocking it free of the tree before the others had barely even registered he had moved for an arrow. Oliver couldn't help but smile, man it felt so natural in many ways to be back here doing target practice with Shado's bow, their bow, without anyone chasing after them for once. This was the peace he'd sought after the Undertaking had killed Tommy. Oliver knew Slade too well to expect it to last, but just for these few seconds he was going to enjoy it.

Oliver smiled at the looks on the faces around him. Thea, his Mom, Walter, and Laurel were a mixture of amazement and astonishment; while Lance was nodding as if everything had just fallen into place. Sara, Diggle, and Felicity were all grinning with him and he knew they were enjoying sharing in his pleasure at showing off finally some of what he was capable of. Oliver knew that the questions would follow and that many of them would be things he didn't ever want to talk about, _ever_ , but for now it was fun being able to stun the others like that.

Oliver realized that there was no point hiding the rest of his abilities anymore so, with a nod to Diggle and Felicity, he ran off at full speed no longer holding back to to grab the scrap of paper pierced by his arrow. Using his parkour skills to slide across fallen logs and leap over the large ditches without even hesitating, or truly needing to look as he remembered all too well the lay of the land, he was there and back in less time than it had taken Sara to place the target.

Oliver showed the scrap of paper to the rest of the group so they could clearly see the arrow that had pierced it dead centre. He reveled in the amazed and impressed looks on their faces, as well as in the simple enjoyment of using his body to its full potential instead of always restraining himself around the others as he had these past two years.

After a few seconds of stunned silence there was a rush of noise as they all started asking questions at once – mostly along the lines of where the hell did he learn to shoot, to do that?! One comment however stood out above the rest.

"So you really are the Arrow then." Lance stated making it was clear it wasn't a question.


	5. Defenses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rennie75 you are still the best beta ever, diolch yn fawr cariad bach!
> 
> You all know the deal, comments/kudos feed the Muse and you truly do make me grin like mad with every single one :-D
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own it, CW does, big sigh! Oh, and Rennie if I can't own it then you can't either ok- unless you'll share :-P

_"So you really are the Arrow then." Lance stated making it was clear it wasn't a question."_

_**Oliver's POV** _

"Yes Detective Lance, I am." Oliver answered simply, expecting the onslaught he knew would follow his statement.

Oliver wasn't surprised it was Lance who figured it out first. After all he had been the one to arrest Oliver for being the Vigilante to start with and, despite building a good relationship with the man, Oliver knew Lance had always remained suspicious about a few things. Lance was a good Detective and with everything that had happened since Sara's return to Starling City it had been evident he was going to work it out sooner or later anyway. In fact in some ways he was surprised that Lance hadn't figured it out as soon as he'd seen Sara together with the Arrow.

Unfortunately the others clearly had  _not_  worked it out and he was barraged with questions and exclamations from Laurel, his Mom, and Thea. Walter stayed quiet much to his surprise, nodding as though working something through.

"So it was you who rescued me then." Walter said quietly.

Whatever Oliver might have been expecting his step-father to say, that was not it. In fact that was the last thing he'd expected. Walter had never given him any sign of recognition either during or after the rescue.

"You knew?!" Oliver asked disbelievingly.

"Knew is too strong a word, but something about you seemed familiar that night. I thought it was just that I was so desperate to see my family again that I was imagining it however, especially as you gave no signs of knowing me."

"I couldn't, knowing who I am, knowing my identity, it puts people at risk." Oliver explained briefly before continuing. "It wasn't just me, in fact if it hadn't been for Felicity we would never even have known where you were."

"Then I owe you both my thanks, my life." Walter said with heartfelt gratitude, wanting to say more but not sure what or how.

Oliver nodded his acceptance and acknowledgement before addressing the others.

"We need to get moving, we can't stay here now."

"But we only just got here Oliver, we need to rest." His Mom objected. "You said this was where we needed to go!"

"I know Mom, but Slade has been here, he's probably been everywhere else too and that means we need somewhere that we can defend more easily." Oliver said making it clear this was not the time for arguments.

"Hang on a minute Ollie." Laurel started angrily grabbing at Oliver's arm as she spoke. "We are exhausted, we need to rest, in the last few days we've been captured by a madman, again, been threatened with watching you being tortured, been dumped on this island, seen Thea trapped on a landmine, watched Sara perform surgery on your back, and been marched all the way up here only to find out you're the Arrow?!" Laurel's voice had started out pissed but had risen in tone and pitch and was now bordering on angry hysteria. "Enough is enough, we need to know what the hell is going on, what is it that  _you_  have got us caught up in here?!"

"Laurel, I appreciate you've been through a lot okay, trust me I understand, but this place is simply  _not safe_  until we know more about where Slade's been and what he's done. We  _need_ to get you all somewhere safer, more defensible. Once we've done that then I will answer some of your questions." Oliver responded, shaking off her hand and trying to keep his annoyance with her at bay.  _At least you're not starving and alone, you haven't been shot with an arrow, and you have others with you and people who are capable of looking after you – if you'll let them._

"Not good enough Ollie, we need to know what's going on – now!"

"Laurel!" Lance rebuked her at the same time as Sara and Thea did.

_**Third party POV** _

"Ollie's right Laurel, this is not the time or the place! We  _have_ to get to a better position, can't you see that?! Your questions are going to have to wait." Sara turned away from her sister, angry with her reactions and insistence. Sara refused to give her any more time and spoke to Oliver instead. "Where?"

"Yao Fei's cave. Do you remember the way?" Oliver asked.

"Why are you asking Sara that Ollie? Aren't you coming with us?" Thea asked trying to stay calm but worried and scared at the idea of not being with her brother.

"It'll be faster if Sara takes you and I'll meet you there." Oliver answered, appreciating his sister's efforts to stay calm when he could see from her elevated pulse that she was feeling anything but.

"No! You're not leaving us, you can't. This whole mess has happened because of  _you_ ,  _you're_  the reason we're stuck here because of whatever it is  _you've_  got going on with this Slade guy – which you haven't even bothered to tell us about – and now you're going off somewhere and abandoning us! You've spent two years,  _two years Ollie,_  lying to us and yet now you just expect us to trust you and believe you?!" Laurel was furious, she couldn't believe Oliver was doing this to them.

"That's enough Laurel!" Lance said sharply, highly embarrassed and annoyed by the way his older daughter was behaving.

"Oliver is not abandoning us Laurel and he never would!" Felicity spoke in her angry voice much to Diggle's delight.

"If he says he's going to meet us there then that is what he will do and you have no right to expect answers to questions you know  _nothing_ about, Oliver has been through more than you could possibly imagine, has put his life on the line more times than you can count to protect  _you_ so don't you dare say otherwise and even after you tried to trap him and have him arrested he still continued to come for you and rescued  _you_  from the Dollmaker and a dozen other times as well regardless of how many times he's been hurt saving you and yet  _you_  continue to attack him at every turn, and it is  **not** his fault that we are here Slade is a twisted psychopath and that is  **not** Oliver's doing so don't you  _ **dare**  _say otherwise! If he says we need to go somewhere then that's what we are going to do and we are going to do it now" Felicity finished angrily turning her back on Laurel purposefully and facing Sara instead. "Which way Sara?"

Thea was truly impressed at how Felicity had defended her brother. She had thought the IT girl was quiet and had never understood why Oliver and Diggle seemed to defer to her and be loath to cross her – but now she could see why.  _Felicity can be Scary!_  Thea glanced at her brother and Diggle to see them both attempting to hide smiles at Felicity's words and reaction, and doing a poor job of it.

"Before you go you need to take some supplies, there should be some water bottles in the fuselage." Oliver decided to ignore Laurel's words for now and move on to the job in hand, they had wasted too much time already and he wanted Sara to be able to get them to the cave before they lost the last of the daylight.

Sara, Diggle, Walter, and Lance followed Oliver, leaving the other women outside shooting daggers at each other.  _If looks could kill,_ thought Diggle wryly,  _why is it people will never learn the lesson that attacking Oliver in front of Felicity is a_ bad  _idea?!_

Lance took the bottles of water that Oliver was taking out of the bottom of a crate, as he passed them out he noticed the date on one of them and saw it was still in date.  _So not from seven years ago then._ That together with Oliver's comment about getting Felicity off a landmine had him intrigued.  _So that means Oliver has been back here since being rescued?_ Lance knew he would have to ask Oliver about that, but now was definitely not the time.

"That's all there is, but it will be enough until I get things sorted." Oliver said as he passed out the last of about a dozen bottles of water. He also passed out a couple of kit bags saying briefly "Blankets and flints."

Sara turned to go before Oliver stopped her. "Hang on, I just need to check something." With that he jumped up onto the old pull-ups bar before using it to flip out over and on to the roof of the fuselage in one fast move that was clearly very easy for him. Walter looked at Lance with amazement in his eyes and Lance met his glance nodding to show he shared the Brit's wonder at what it now appeared Oliver was capable of doing.

Diggle having caught their look grinned before commenting "I already told him he should enter the next Olympics." Sara just barked out a brief laugh of her own at that and Diggle was glad he had been able to relieve the tension between at least this part of the group somewhat.

Before anyone could say anything else Oliver silently dropped back down in front of them on the other side of the fuselage with three combat knives. "I created this cache after Slade left the Island, looks like he either missed it or left this one in place."

Oliver threw one fast straight at Sara who picked it out of the air without any hesitation much to Walter's surprise, before passing the second to Diggle and keeping the last for himself. Lance saw Walter's querying look and answered his unspoken question letting the pride show in his voice "Yeah she's just as good as Oliver."

"Better..." Oliver contradicted "...apart from with the bow."

"So you don't shoot too then?" Walter asked, still surprised at idea of the petite woman being a better fighter than Oliver, the Arrow.

"Oh she does, it's just no-one's as good as Oliver when it comes to the bow" Diggle replied.

Sara just grinned at that staying silent.

"Almost no-one." Oliver corrected, appreciating the praise but needing Lance and Walter to know he wasn't unbeatable.

"So what's the plan?" Sara said, recognizing it was time to get a move on, they'd allowed the rest of the group as much of a break as they could currently afford.

"You head straight to Yao Fei's cave, I'll check the Mirakuru cave and a couple of other caches that are on the way and meet you at Yao Fei's once I've caught dinner and set some traps. Get a fire going." Oliver knew there was no need to say about rationing the water, Sara was just as aware of that as he was and Diggle would be too with his training.

Oliver wasn't overly keen on the idea of splitting up, however he knew it was the fastest way and as only Sara and Diggle had any real training he couldn't afford to leave the group without them both as protection.

"We'll check Fyres' camp tomorrow, there won't be enough light tonight and I want you with me for that Digg." Oliver said.

Diggle nodded his agreement, recognizing it for the compliment it was. He knew that Oliver trusted him completely to have his back in Starling City, but this Island was another matter and league. It was good to see Oliver still trusting people, he hadn't been sure how all of this would affect the younger man's ability to trust and rely on others. He knew the strain on Oliver was immense and he was determined to do all he could to help relieve that burden.

"Oliver." Diggle spoke his name quietly as Oliver was about to leave. He held out the Hood to Oliver knowing how much it meant to him to wear it. "Take it man." Oliver hesitated briefly.

"Honor her Oliver." Sara said simply.


	6. Roy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rennie as ever my thanks go to you hun, you are such a brilliant support!
> 
> Well for those who were asking about Roy this is for you :-) Hope you like it!
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own it, CW does.

_"Oliver." Diggle spoke his name quietly as Oliver was about to leave. He held out the Hood to Oliver knowing how much it meant to him to wear it. "Take it man." Oliver hesitated briefly._

_"Honor her Oliver." Sara said simply._

_**Third Party POV** _

Oliver took the Hood with a look of gratitude to them both that had Lance and Walter puzzled. Who was the 'her' Oliver was meant to be honoring? Regardless, it was plain that this hood was far more than just a disguise to Oliver – or to Diggle or Sara for that matter.

Oliver was quick to remove the quiver and put on the Hood before refastening the quiver. He left the Hood itself down for now needing, for some unknown reason, to see Felicity's face when he put it up. He picked up the bow and followed the others back to the rest of the group.

Diggle was amused to see the glaring match was still going on and that Thea had moved to stand closer to Felicity, but wisely decided to say nothing.

Felicity and Thea looked up first and Oliver saw the glimmer of a smile on Felicity's face at the sight of the Hood. Keeping his eyes fixed on her and ignoring the rest for now Oliver raised the Hood. Felicity nodded her approval, definitely smiling now. It felt good to be wearing it publicly even if most of them didn't have any idea what it represented – who it represented, yet. He would tell them, but when they were safer at Yao Fei's cave, not now.

The fuselage had been Slade's place even before Oliver had come to the Island and yet he had been drawn back to it. Oliver had known for some reason it was the first place he needed to go to and Slade had known that too. That was why Slade had chosen to leave the bow -  _her bow -_ here in the one place the three of them had been together, been as happy as it was possible to be on this Island after they had destroyed Fyers.

"You'll get to the cave before I do, not sure if I'll make it before the light goes but I'll be there as soon as I can. Sara knows the way, but be careful this Island has many dangers." Oliver said addressing the whole group.

"Be careful Oliver." Felicity said quietly as Oliver ran off, knowing full well that he could still hear her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Oliver checked out two further caches on the way to the Mirakuru cave and was disappointed but not surprised to find they were both empty – especially as they had been set up before Shado had been killed. Regardless, he knew it had still been worth checking them out.

When he made it to the cave where they had first found the Japanese soldiers who'd led them to the Mirakuru (the Mirakuru cave as they'd referred to it ever since) Oliver stopped warily. The bushes around the entrance had been disturbed – recently. He nocked an arrow before cautiously entering the cave, stopping dead in his tracks at what he saw – Roy!

He was chained, hanging from the roof of the cave and was covered in a multitude of almost healed bruises including the remnants of a split lip and underneath the blindfold there was also some bruising from a black eye. With his fast healing Oliver knew those injuries could be no more than a day old. Oliver realized they were a recreation of the injuries that the man he'd found in Yao Fei's cave had had, the man he had later discovered was a radio operator for Fyers and who had been left there as a trap. Oliver had finally told Slade about him after Yao Fei had been killed.

Oliver also recognized that the way Roy was chained was the same as the way Slade had chained Oliver on the Amazo after killing Ivo. Recognized that this was Slade's macabre twisted recreation of both scenes. He was taunting Oliver, making him relive memories that he had no wish to think of ever again. Oliver knew this would only be the beginning of whatever Slade had planned for them.

Roy was blindfolded so although he thought he'd heard someone entering the cave and coming near, he couldn't be sure.

"Hello, is someone there?" Roy asked keeping any hints of fear out of his voice Oliver noticed approvingly. Oliver realized from the way he spoke that Roy also had a smashed jawbone. He was wary of approaching or saying anything. He remembered Fyers' trap all too well and knew that this could easily be a trap too.

Oliver circled around Roy staying silent as he checked out the rest of the cave. Sure enough, in the place where the skeletons still lay (all apart from the one they had taken to the fuselage for Shado to examine) there was another yellow note from Slade with Oliver's name on it.

_'I told you that caring for people makes you weak. You wouldn't listen. Now you have to decide if you are weak still. The key for Mr_ _Harper's shackles is by this note. You have to decide whether to release him and risk that he's a trap like with Fyers – or whether to leave him here knowing that if you do you've killed your sister's girlfriend knowing that he might not have been a trap. Time to choose kid.'_

Again he could picture Slade's smirk. He swallowed a few times knowing that Slade was right. If it wasn't a trap then he would be killing Roy by leaving him here, even with the Mirakuru there was no way he could escape those chains and he would still need water to survive. Slade had been very careful to chain him in a way that Roy couldn't get any leverage on anything in order to break them either.

But, if it was a trap and he brought Roy back to the group then he could be killing them all – Felicity, Thea. In the end it was thoughts of Thea that decided him. Even in the midst of his worst Mirakuru fuelled rages Thea had always remained the one certain way to get through to Roy and she remained his anchor point. Roy loved her so much that he had been willing to break up with her, to fake cheating on her, just to keep her safe. Oliver  _had_ to believe that was still the case. He had to trust in Roy's love for Thea even if he couldn't trust anything else.

Decision made Oliver picked up the key and carefully approached Roy. He didn't speak until he'd been able to check around more thoroughly. Slade was a master of distraction after all and it was essential to be sure that he didn't trigger off any other traps or alarms by freeing Roy.

"Roy." Oliver finally spoke calmly before he was within striking distance of him – the last thing they needed was for Roy to be startled and hit out causing more injuries or broken bones. They simply didn't have the time to allow for injuries or for breaks to heal.

"Oliver?" The query was plain to hear in the younger man's voice, along with disbelief – and, despair?

"It's me Roy, stay still I'm going to get you down but is there anything I need to know about first? Did Slade leave any traps?" Just because Oliver couldn't see any didn't mean they weren't there. Slade had been ASIS after all and so had been highly trained in all this even before the Island, before the Mirakuru. Oliver had known this place had been disturbed well before he entered the cave. Regardless of the two years that had passed (he'd stayed away from this place when he'd returned after Tommy's death) he had still been able to sense the differences instantly. The airflow had been disturbed, it flowed differently with Roy hanging there. The bushes outside had first alerted him sure, but there had been other signs too, even the scent of the cave had been wrong.

Much as he wished it hadn't been Roy hanging there, Oliver was relieved to know that his senses were just as highly attuned to the Island and its places as ever. He had been there longer than anyone else, including Slade, and Oliver knew they would need that, would need every advantage they could get if they were all to survive this. If Roy was finally able to gain the control and focus he needed – assuming Oliver was right about him being on their side – then Roy could definitely be one of those advantages.

All of this ran through Oliver's mind in the time it took him (once Roy had said no to knowledge of any traps) to climb up the cave to Roy's position, remove his blindfold, and unlock the chains. Roy dropped to the floor, landing hard, as Oliver dropped down far more agilely and landed in a controlled crouch position.

"Thank you – I wasn't sure you would trust me still." Roy said awkwardly, trying but struggling to make and keep eye contact with Oliver.

"Do you still love Thea?" Oliver asked bluntly needing to see Roy's response, hear his voice, see his pulse, his muscle tension to be certain of Roy's answer.

"Yes! How can you ask that Oliver?!  _You_ know I only broke up with her because you told me I had to in order to keep her safe." Roy replied vehemently, his entire body showing the truth of his words.

"Good – because she's here and we're going to need your help to keep her safe."

"Thea's here?!" Roy's fury and distress were easy for anyone to hear in his voice. "How did she get here, how did you get here for that matter – and who's 'we'?"

Oliver was pleased and relieved to note that regardless of his obvious distress and fear for Thea, Roy had still managed to focus on some of the other important and more urgent factors. He had even picked up that Oliver had used 'we' instead of 'I'.  _Maybe here, with Thea with him, we'll finally be able to teach Roy the focus and control he needs._

"Slade." Oliver knew that for now at least that was all he had to say.


	7. Shengcún

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to you all for the support – you guys are brilliant, love you all!
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own it, CW does. I only own my mistakes.

_"Slade." Oliver knew that for now at least that was all he had to say._

**_Third Party POV_ **

Roy followed Oliver out of the cave and they headed back to meet the others with Oliver updating Roy on the way on everything that had happened. Roy was less than impressed that Slade had brought Thea into it yet again and it was clear from his barely restrained anger that Roy was against anyone who might hurt Thea. She was his world and he would do anything for her. For now that meant working with Oliver and the rest of Team Arrow so that was what Roy was willing to do.

They detoured slightly on the way so that Oliver could kill a deer for them all to have for their meal. Feeding ten was going to take a lot more than it had when it had only been him on the Island, the most Oliver had ever been with at one time was four others he realized. Fyres' mercenaries didn't count as they hadn't been with him and had had food shipped in anyway.

Roy was surprised to see how involved it was to kill an animal, he had only seen Oliver going up against people of course and had just assumed it would be no more difficult – easier even as an animal wouldn't be attacking in return. Things like needing to stand downwind had never even occurred to Roy before, nor did he think about just how sensitive an animal's hearing could be. They had lost the first animal when Roy had inadvertently caught the edge of a leaf making the slightest of sounds – hell he hadn't even heard it himself, but the stag had and so had Oliver, somehow.

Once he'd killed the deer Oliver proceeded to use a vine to strap it to a branch and Roy then carried it back to the cave for Oliver. Roy figured the carrying was the least he could do, especially as he'd lost them the first animal after all. Plus Roy knew it was safer for them both if Oliver had his hands free to use the bow. Neither man trusted Slade not to have left other traps or dangers set up, or even a Mirakuru enhanced force to attack them.

If he was honest with himself Roy was still surprised that Oliver had released him. If he'd wanted to he could have just stayed quiet and Roy would never even have known that it had been Oliver – heck he hadn't been certain he'd heard anything or anyone in the first place. Roy knew that he owed Oliver his life, again. Nobody would have ever needed to know that Oliver had found him while he was still alive either Roy realized, everybody would have just blamed Slade without stopping to query it.

"Why?" Roy found himself asking without ever really meaning to.

Oliver looked at him, knowing exactly what it Roy was asking, but still wishing that he hadn't.

"Thea." Oliver hoped that would be enough of an answer for now. He knew he was going to have a lot of questions to answer tonight as it was and really wasn't up for adding to that. Thankfully Roy seemed to understand and accept that and let the matter lie.

"Thank you." The words were simple but heartfelt and considering everything that had gone on Oliver was just grateful to have someone outside of his main Team who wasn't angry with him right now.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

They got to Yao Fei's cave to find that Sara had got the fire going as asked and such blankets as there were had been handed to Thea, Laurel, Felicity, and his Mom. Oliver was glad it was summer meaning that even though it would be cold at night it was still perfectly survivable without blankets, unlike winter. Oliver had already told Roy to leave the deer outside for now, best to let them know he was here first. Oliver walked into the cave with Roy right behind him. As they saw the others Roy stepped to one side allowing them to see him too.

"Roy!" Thea screamed in delight, relief, and surprise all at once.

Considering the force with which Thea launched herself at Roy it was a good thing he was enhanced by the Mirakuru. Again questions rained down on them, something that Oliver was fast getting sick of but knew wouldn't be ending anytime soon, unfortunately.

Roy looked at Oliver before answering briefly with the abridged version. "Slade captured me, I got knocked out. Next thing I knew I was chained in a cave, don't know quite how long I was there before Oliver found me. He saved my life."

 _Talk about the cliff notes version!_  Diggle thought seeing straight away there was far more to it than that.  _Especially considering the remnants of injuries Roy was sporting._ He knew better than to ask any further though, if Oliver thought it was something they  _needed_ to know then he would tell them.

_**Oliver's POV** _

Putting a stop to all the questions that were still coming Oliver just walked out of the cave to get the deer. He had previously slit its throat so that the others wouldn't have to deal with that, trying to make things as easy for them as possible.

"What the heck is that?" Laurel asked pointing at the deer.

"Dinner." Oliver answered succinctly.

"Oliver you can't really expect us to eat that, surely?!" His Mom said disdainfully.

Oliver was annoyed but not surprised by their response. He caught sight of Sara and Diggle both rolling their eyes and Felicity looked close to starting another glaring match with Laurel. Oliver avoided their faces as he knew that a grin wouldn't go down all that well now. He could have completely predicted this and had actually been expecting it. His Mom hadn't even been able to handle proper camping before so he knew this would be a rude awakening to her.

"Just be glad I didn't make you kill it." Oliver thought back to his own early days and how Yao Fei had taught him that his own survival was paramount. He saw the look on Felicity's face without meaning to and knew she was remembering when he'd told her about what Yao Fei had done. He remembered she had understood things better after that and had told him it was good to know there had been a process involved in him being able to kill.  _Maybe it would help if the other knew that too? I'm going to have to answer some questions tonight anyway, at least if I choose how I start I'll have more chance of keeping it under control._

Oliver took out the combat knife and started preparing the deer for cooking as Sara set up the spit poles over the fire. As he worked he took a few deep breaths first to help prepare himself for revealing things that he had never wanted them to know. As he did so, Felicity moved to sit opposite him so that he could focus on her eyes, she knew how much he relied on her to anchor him and even here, in the midst of all this, she was still trying to make it easier for him as best she could. Diggle and Sara moved into flanking positions, one on either side, lending their own unspoken support too. He looked at each of them, his own thanks also unvoiced but just as well known, as he began to speak.

"When I first got to this Island I was on my own and dying of dehydration, I'd been floating in a life-raft for days as I told you in Court when they legally resurrected me. What I didn't say was what happened after that. I was on the beach when I was shot with an arrow by a Chinese man I later found out was called Yao Fei." Oliver ignored the reactions to that and continued speaking.

"The Island was not abandoned, it was being used by mercenaries who were hunting Yao Fei, he had thought I was one of the soldiers and so had shot me in self-defense. Yao Fei realized I wasn't one of them so brought me here and treated my wound. He gave me water, herbs that are the only medicine you'll find here, and kept me alive to start with." Oliver looked around as he spoke meeting his sister's eyes first before moving onto to his Mom's eyes. **  
**

"Yao Fei knew that to make it here you have to learn one thing above all else and you have to learn it fast. He brought in this little bird that was alive in a cage, put it down next to me, and pointed at it saying 'shengcún'. I figured that meant 'bird', it was all he would say. He would eat himself but never let me have any, stopped me if I tried to get at it. He just kept pointing at the damn bird and repeating 'shengcún'." Oliver looked to Walter as he continued.

"Finally after a few days he pointed at me and mimed wringing the bird's neck. I was starving and weak already from the arrow wound. If I didn't eat soon then I would die, but I still couldn't do it though. I remember what I said to him next and his replies." Oliver met Laurel's eyes before continuing knowing that she would find this hardest to accept, but needing her to know he hadn't found it easy to kill.

"I said 'Hey, please, I'm starving. I never killed anything before.' Yao Fei paid no attention though, as if I wasn't even speaking. I realized I had no choice, it was either my death or I killed the bird."

Oliver gave a mirthless laugh looking down before he continued speaking. "I actually said 'I'm sorry' to the bird before I wrung its neck, killing it."

Oliver paused for a few seconds before meeting Thea's eyes. "After that he cooked it and let me eat the bird, before sitting down opposite me. He said 'shengcún' again. I was fed up with that damn word by then, I'd done what he'd said, what more did he want? I was pissed off and let it show as I replied to Yao Fei saying 'Yeah, bird, I know!' I wasn't expecting his response though."

"Yao Fei said, 'Shengcún not mean bird. Shengcún mean survive.' I couldn't believe it, he spoke English?! Yao Fei ignored my comment and just continued as if I'd said nothing. 'You won't survive this place bird not last thing you kill. Shengcún, survive.' It was a tough lesson but over time I realized he was right. Shengcún, survive. If you want to survive this place then that is what you need to learn too. Survive." Oliver finished darkly looking finally to Felicity, needing her approval and was relieved to see her encouraging smile.

**_Third Party POV_ **

"Just be glad Oliver's not making you learn it the same way." Sara said after a few minutes of shocked silence. She was reinforcing Oliver's words and hoping at the same time to distract them from the fact that she hadn't been on the Island with Oliver then too. Sara knew that it would be her turn to talk soon enough, that she would have to explain her part in the Mirakuru, in creating Slade in the first place, but hoped to delay that as long as possible.

Whilst Oliver talked Thea had been watching the faces of those around him. She realized that this story was not new to Felicity or Diggle, just as they had already known he was the Arrow.  _Just how much has my brother told them – and why did he trust them but not me?_ Thea had also noticed how Oliver had completely skipped over the part about being shot; it was as if his injuries, his own pain, didn't even matter to him.

"Thank you Oliver." Thea said without elaboration. She knew her brother would understand she was thanking him not only for the food and the lesson/explanation, but also for sharing something of his past with them all, despite the fact that he clearly found it hard to do so. Thea wondered about this Yao Fei,  _who was he and why were these mercenaries after him? How much other stuff did he teach Oliver? Was he the one who taught Oliver to shoot with the bow? So much we don't know still, but at least he's talking now, he's trying._


	8. Arrows and Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to all of you who have been kind enough to leave kudos and/or comments - I really do appreciate it so very much!! Rennie75 you're still my star cariad & keep me going, thank you! :-D
> 
> As always, thoughts, memories, and unspoken conversations are in italics.
> 
> Disclaimer: Yeah, I know, I still don't own it, sigh, no fair!

_Thea wondered about this Yao Fei_ ,  _who was he and why were these mercenaries after him? How much other stuff did he teach Oliver? Was he the one who taught Oliver to shoot with the bow? So much we don't know still, but at least he's talking now, he's trying._

_**Mixed POV** _

After Thea's thank you everyone had fallen silent, each lost in their own thoughts as the food was cooked. Oliver and Sara shared it around making sure that everyone received an equal portion. Some ate more reluctantly than others, in particular Moira was struggling, but at least she was trying after Oliver's words. Sara understood how hard it was to share those memories and events. They were of a lifetime they both had wanted to bury, but no matter how hard they tried it appeared the Island was not content to remain in the past – not if Slade had anything to do with it! Sara couldn't help but wonder how much else would need to be remembered, shared, before this was all over – and how many relationships would survive that sharing.

She knew that John and Felicity would stand by Oliver no matter what and she was grateful that he had that support, even as she wished for the same herself. Sin gave her that, she was her support, but Sin wasn't here – which Sara was intensely grateful for, she just hoped that meant the streetwise kid was safe. Sara hoped that Sin would figure out something was wrong from the way that they had all disappeared at once. She was just worried that Sin would think that Sara had broken her word, had abandoned her too.

As for the others, she knew that Laurel would freak out at a lot of what she was going to learn and Sara honestly didn't know if her sister would ever speak to her again once she knew that Sara wasn't just a killer like Oliver, she was an assassin, had been part of the League of Assassins. There was simply no way Slade would allow that information to remain secret. Sara knew her Dad had already accepted her past even though he'd had trouble doing so. In the end it was his jubilation at her being alive that had allowed him to deal with the news. How he'd feel when he found out about Ivo, the Mirakuru and her part in all that, or the fact that she had traded the life of another in an attempt to save Oliver – well, she just didn't know if that would finally be too much for him.

Diggle and Felicity hadn't been happy about that either even though they had tried to understand and Felicity in particular had tried not to judge – as always.  _When was Oliver going to realize what he had in her and act on it?!_ Giving Slade more ammunition with the relationship was a bad idea, but so was dying without letting the person you love know how you truly feel.  _Those two are soul-mates, anyone who truly looked at them could see that._ Sara just hoped that their bond would be enough to get Oliver through this without losing himself again.

Thea was more relieved than she could say to have Roy here at her side and not trying to hide his love for her anymore. Much as she wished he hadn't been caught up in all this, having him there made her feel safer, more complete. She didn't understand why Slade had separated him in the first place or why Oliver had shut her down when she'd tried to argue for more answers. Normally Thea would have kept going regardless, but she had caught sight of Felicity's face and wisely decided not to go up against the blond.

Thea had instantly noticed that Roy acted differently around Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity, than he had until now. Apparently he had already known that Oliver was the Arrow, somehow.  _No wonder Roy had stopped searching for the Arrow – he'd found him!_ She was pissed that he had never told her, but she supposed she could understand it hadn't been his secret to tell and it was good to see his loyalty to her brother.

Roy's sudden change from thinking Oliver was a 'wuss' to being scared and intimidated by her brother suddenly made way more sense!  _Who wouldn't be scared of the Arrow in overprotective big brother mode!_ All this time Thea thought it had been because of seeing how Oliver had dealt with that arrow Roy had been shot with..."

" _ **You shot my boyfriend!**_ " Thea yelled furiously making everyone jump.

Oliver looked sheepish and guilty.

"Was wondering when she'd get to that." Diggle said in an aside to Felicity, earning himself a glare from Oliver that had no effect on him whatsoever. A _ngry Thea Queen, this should be fun!"_ Diggle though, amused.  _Oliver deserves this for thinking that shooting his sister's boyfriend was a good way to keep him safe, them safe._

"I was trying to protect him, to keep you both safe..." Oliver began.

_Doomed, he's doomed._ That argument hadn't worked at the time on them, or on Roy either Diggle remembered.

"By shooting him with an arrow in the knee?!" Thea yelled back not holding back at all.

"Yeah he's so doomed." Felicity said quietly answering Diggle's unspoken thoughts and earning herself a glare from Oliver – and a smirk from Sara.

"Thea it's okay." Roy spoke up much to Oliver's surprise, trying unsuccessfully to stop Thea's attack on Oliver.

"How is it okay Roy?! My  _ **brother**_ shot you before pretending to be surprised and help as 'Oliver', hurting you further by removing that same arrow. In what twisted world is  _that okay_?!" Thea was angrier than most of them had ever seen her.

"Because he  _was_ trying to protect us, protect you! I  _had_ ignored previous warnings from him both as Oliver and as the Arrow. Oliver knew how dangerous what we were looking into was and he was trying to protect his  _sister_. Plus he had already saved my life by that point and has done so again several times since, including today. I figure that earns him some leeway." Roy finished, stopping Thea in her tracks.

Diggle could see that Thea didn't completely agree, but she  _had_ stopped her attack on Oliver – an impressive feat. It appeared that although Roy might not be much of a talker normally, when he wanted to he was certainly capable of making a good argument.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After that things had gone quiet again, everybody was exhausted emotionally and physically by the stresses of the day. The light had completely gone and Oliver realized it was time for them to settle down for the night.

"I'll take the first watch, Diggle take the second, then you Sara." Oliver instructed as he banked down the fire.

Oliver went and sat by the entrance, putting the bow down no more than an inch from his hand. Until now they had unobtrusively made sure that at least two out of himself, Sara, Diggle, and Roy had eyes on the entrance at all times. For a nighttime watch however Oliver knew that Roy did not have the necessary skills or awareness. Diggle may not have been familiar with the Island either, but he had been trained to keep watch and Oliver trusted him to have their backs.

Felicity went to lay down her blanket on the ground creating her own sleeping area; as Roy and Sara went to do the same with Thea's and Laurel's blankets respectively, much to their surprise. Moira just sat there looking bemused until Walter spoke.

"I think that's our cue to settle down for the night. Goodnight Oliver, and thank you again son." Walter spoke quietly as ever to Moira, even as he took her blanket and laid it out ready for her to sleep on the ground too.

"You can't be serious Oliver. You expect us to all sleep here, together?" Moira protested, indignant at the thought of them all sleeping in the same cave without any privacy.

"Your Mom's right Ollie, we can't all sleep here, surely?" Laurel spoke up in support of Moira.

Oliver was thrown by that. Sara and Shado had never objected to all of them sharing the same sleeping area so it hadn't occurred to him that anyone else would. Looking around though he could see that they weren't alone, Thea didn't look too comfortable with the idea either. Diggle and Felicity seemed to be fine with it, as did Roy. Sara obviously was as it wasn't the first time she had slept here. Lance and Walter didn't seem so keen but they were both trying to hide that Oliver noticed and he was grateful for the subtle support. Oliver looked to Diggle for support from the older man, not wanting to start another argument and knowing that Diggle was better at keeping the peace than he was.

Lance spoke up first however. "Laurel honey, where did you think we were going to sleep? There aren't exactly separate rooms around here and it'll be safer if we're all together." The last thing he wanted was for them to be out of his sight on this Island that had already stolen Sara from him for six years.

"He's right Moira, we have to think about this sensibly and right now it's more important to be safe. If it makes you feel better then why don't you ladies sleep on this side of the fire and we will take the other side, closer to the entrance?" Walter chipped in, playing the diplomat as ever trying to come to a compromise that would satisfy Moira and Laurel whilst keeping them all safe – and that meant being near to Oliver, Mr Diggle, and apparently Sara too.

"Fine." Laurel agreed, obviously less than enthusiastic but too tired to argue any further for now. "But why does Sara need to take a watch?"

Sara had hoped she would at least have until the morning to work out how to tell them her secret too, but apparently not. She opened her mouth to answer only for Oliver to speak first.

"Because Sara knows what she's doing, she knows this Island too remember." Oliver spoke softly but with the ring of authority in his voice still. "Try and get some rest, this Island doesn't tend to give you many chances to rest so it's important to take them while you can. We'll keep you safe while you sleep." As he said the last he looked at Thea and then Felicity.

Oliver sat back down just inside the entrance at the point where he had a good view of the outside surrounding area, but he couldn't be seen himself. Yao Fei had chosen well when he had picked this cave for his own. It didn't take long to hear the various sounds of sleep coming from the majority of the group. Diggle came and sat down beside him as Oliver had known he would.

"So how much sleep are you planning on getting then man?" Diggle asked quietly, knowing at least part of what the younger man would be thinking, worrying about.

"You know as well as I do what's going to happen if I sleep here Digg. What happens when one of them tries to wake me from the nightmares? We both know that being back here like this is only going to make then hit harder." Oliver finished with a sigh, speaking just as quietly.

"Oliver I know you're worried about that, but we need you alert and even you need some sleep too. Besides, think about it. Sara, Felicity, and Roy all know better than to go near when you're having a nightmare. Walter and your Mom do too going on what you told us about your first night back in the Mansion – and I'm guessing that means Thea will know about it as well, your Mom would have warned her. Lance will have dealt with PTSD and flashbacks before with SCPD so he should be aware of the risks. You've slept with Laurel too since you first came back, did you tell her then?

"No, but I should have, not telling her put her at risk that night. Thankfully I woke up that time without waking her first. I can't take the risk of that happening again though."

"Okay, so Sara and I will sleep nearest to you. If anyone asks we'll say it's a security thing, to be able to back-up whoever is on watch. You know we'll wake before anyone else."Diggle said in an effort to reassure Oliver. "But you gotta realize they are going to all find out sooner or later, if not tonight then soon." Diggle warned.

Oliver just nodded, knowing Diggle was right, he would have to tell them, warn them never to touch him in his sleep.  _Tomorrow though._ For now he would take watch, and trust Digg and Sara to have his back when he too tried to sleep.


	9. Nightmare

**AN: Rennie75 thanks so much for yet another super fast turnaround on these!**

**Disclaimer: You guys know it already, CW owns Arrow.**

* * *

_Oliver just nodded, knowing Diggle was right, he would have to tell them, warn them never to touch him in his sleep._ Tomorrow though.  _For now he would take watch, and trust Digg and Sara to have his back when he was too tired to sleep.  
_

**_Oliver's POV_ **

After Diggle had gone to settle down and get some sleep of his own Oliver continued to keep watch. He turned back to look inside the cave briefly (being careful to avert his gaze from the fire so as to protect his night vision) as he'd heard movement. Oliver wasn't at all surprised that it was Felicity who was moving. Oliver had already known that she was not truly asleep, he had been able to tell the differences in her breathing that showed she had only been pretending.

Oliver knew without asking that Felicity had done that so as to reassure the non-Team Members it was safe and okay to sleep. As ever, he was grateful for her thoughtfulness, the way she always thought of others, doing whatever she could to make things easier for them.

It had not escaped Oliver's attention that she had even made herself walk calmly away from Thea on that landmine instead of running to safety as he knew she had wanted to. The tension in her body had shown that, but Oliver knew that only Sara, Diggle, and he would have been able to see that tension. It meant more to him than he could say that Felicity had done that for his sister; and yet he knew no words were needed, the bond between their Team had rendered words unnecessary so often.

Even now, here in this place of his nightmares that she knew enough of to have every reason to be terrified, she was still putting others first and yet again Oliver blessed the day that Walter had given him her name as the "best IT geek QC had". As much as Oliver truly wished she had never been caught up in this life, he knew that without her he simply would not still be here. She gave him a reason to fight, to be the man she had always believed he was, and that was stronger than he was willing to admit even to himself.

Felicity came and sat down next to him as Diggle had done. She stayed quiet for a minute just giving him the comfort of her presence before saying anything.

"You don't have to worry you know, about the nightmares." She spoke gently but assuredly, showing her confidence and belief in what she was saying.

Oliver just looked at her quizzically knowing that she would continue.

"Yes they will come and being back here they will probably be bad. Yes the others will find out more than you wanted them to – we all will. But it won't matter Oliver, because you are not alone. We are here with you supporting you; John and I, we've got your back, Sara too. You don't have to explain more than you are willing to. I trust you to tell us what we need to know to survive, beyond that your past is your own. And if they don't like that it's tough!" Felicity finished with a look at his Mom and Laurel (who were asleep) as if threatening them to defy her.

Oliver felt her calming presence soothe him easing some of the tension he had been under since waking on the Amazo. It hadn't escaped his attention how Felicity had used the word 'survive', or that – generous as ever – she had included Sara in having his back even though she wasn't a true part of their Team. He grinned slightly at the thought of people going up against Felicity in defensive mode again. Oliver relaxed further understanding that without needing to say the words Felicity had just promised to make them back off if they pushed too far.

Seeing his smile Felicity returned it with a bigger one of her own before squeezing Oliver's arm and going back to lie down. Oliver noted that she moved her blanket closer to the entrance, to him, and he was grateful for the gesture of support and comfort.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**_Mixed POV_ **

Felicity woke in the night to the sounds she had been expecting but dreading. Oliver was in the throes of a nightmare. She quickly got up and went to him, only seconds behind Diggle. Sara stayed in her position keeping watch knowing that they could manage and if, for any reason, she was needed they would call her.

Oliver was moaning and writhing in agony in his memories, mumbling something that Felicity struggled to hear enough to make out. As much as she desperately wanted to touch him and give him the physical comfort of her presence she knew better.

"He's remembering the Amazo, telling me not to trade Hendrick's life for his and Slade's using the generator to make him pay." Sara said.

Even in this light Felicity could see Sara's eyes were haunted and she realized that Sara had memories of that happening that were just as clear as Oliver's.

"Shit." Diggle said succinctly. Normally he would bring Oliver back with his voice reminding the younger man he was at Verdant or wherever and not still on the Island; but, of course, he couldn't say that now. Diggle saw the look of understanding on Felicity's face as she realized the same thing.

"Oliver, Oliver it's Diggle, you're safe man. It's okay Oliver you're safe, you're safe." Diggle spoke as authoritatively as he could keeping his voice calm at the same time.

Felicity joined in adding her words to Diggle's. "It's okay Oliver you're safe. You're with us not Slade, you're with Digg and me Oliver. You're safe now okay Oliver, you're safe.

"Ollie?"

Diggle looked over at Thea's sleepy voice. The others were all waking up too as Oliver's moans became screams.  _Crap._

Thea took a step forward before being stopped by Moira which Diggle was grateful for. Laurel came forward too though, her concern and fear for Oliver plain for all to see.

"Don't Laurel. You need to stay there." Diggle said as Felicity continued to try to bring Oliver back to reality without touching him.

Laurel hesitated, unsure what to do and Diggle understood that she just wanted to help Oliver; but he knew that her coming too near and getting hurt would definitely  _not_ help Oliver. Before he could explain though, Oliver screamed again before going limp. Laurel made to start forward as Roy grabbed her restraining her, quickly followed by Lance adding his hand to Laurel's arm too. Diggle nodded his thanks quickly before turning back to Oliver and adding his efforts to Felicity's again. He was dimly aware of Sara speaking, explaining, but he didn't pay much attention as his focus was completely on Oliver.

"It's a nightmare that's all. He's okay you don't need to worry." Sara was careful to keep an eye on the outside as she spoke knowing how important it was to keep the watch and not let their guards down.

"So why can't I go near to him then?" Laurel asked, far from being reassured by her sister's words. She also didn't understand why Diggle and Felicity could be closer to Oliver but she couldn't.  _Why aren't they touching him either?_

"Because it's too dangerous." Moira answered much to the Team's surprise.

"I made that mistake the first night he was back home. I tried to shake him awake and he threw me down before nearly crushing my windpipe – he was so fast I barely knew what was happening. Oliver came to just in time and I  _never_ want to see that look of guilt on my son's face again _so you will stay back until Mr Diggle says otherwise!_ " Moira ordered, surprising Laurel.

Diggle half heard Moira's words and appreciated the vote of confidence and back-up. But before he could acknowledge it Oliver sat up suddenly, instantly wide awake, and panting hard.

Oliver looked around widely but as soon as he saw Felicity's face he calmed down, recognizing her, and she put her hand on his arm squeezing gently in comfort.

"It's okay now, you're safe." Felicity repeated once more very quietly so that most of them couldn't hear her.

Oliver looked around quickly, assessing the situation as he realized instantly what had happened.  _Damn, this is just what I didn't want._ He took in that his Mom and Walter were holding Thea back; and that Roy was doing the same to Laurel ostensibly with Lance's help. Oliver was relieved that this time he hadn't hurt anyone at least. His Team had made sure everyone had stayed back just as Diggle had said they would. Felicity and Diggle were the only ones within touching distance.

Oliver had taken a few deep breaths to bring his breathing and heart rate back under control as he'd assessed things. There were a lot of looks of fear and concern and it was plain he had badly scared them. However, much to Oliver's relief, his wider Team was showing only support and understanding. Oliver didn't want to say anything but knew, both from the memories and from their looks of fear, that he must have been screaming and Oliver appreciated they needed to understand what had happened.

"On the Amazo you remember that Slade threatened to torture me with the generator again, when I refused to say if I remembered the feel of the electricity?" Oliver paused briefly looking at their faces.

Lance nodded, he could see where this was going and felt more sympathy for Oliver than he ever had.  _This must be so hard for him – and yet, he still doesn't back away from it. Oliver is stronger than I ever gave him credit for!_

Thea nodded too remembering Slade's words, she knew that she would  _never_ forget them. Slade's words, his threat, had scared her more than anything else that had happened at that point.

Oliver continued speaking "Well Slade was right, I do remember the feel of electricity and will never forget it. In the nightmare I was back there and I relived yet again the first time that he tortured me with that damned generator. Slade had me chained and was threatening Sara over the radio as he shocked me. She was in an impossible position though and she did all she could, she was trying to protect more than one life. Slade didn't care about that, he knew she was lying to try to save me and so he turned the electricity up to punish us both and kept shocking me until I passed out." Oliver had met Thea's eyes as he spoke knowing she would at least try to understand.

Oliver looked away then unable to bear the look of pity in Thea's eyes or in Walter's, or the looks of horror from the rest. This was why he had never revealed his scars. He had never wanted their pity, never wanted them to know how damaged he was, or to see them look at him in horror. Oliver met Felicity's eyes instead knowing that he would find only compassion and understanding there. After a minute he turned his back on everybody and went over to Sara.

"You might as well get some rest now. I won't sleep anymore tonight." Oliver spoke quietly keeping his back to the others. The last thing he wanted right now was conversation or questions.

Sara nodded her understanding even though she doubted that she would get much sleep either, at least she would be able to rest. Sara knew that Oliver needed to be alone with his thoughts and respected that. She went and laid down between Oliver and the rest of the group, her body a physical barrier between them, as Diggle and Felicity followed suit. They couldn't protect Oliver from his memories, his own mind, but they  _would_ protect him from having to talk any further this night. Roy came and joined them too, completing the wider Team Arrow, and all four of them together gave off such a forbidding air that nobody had the nerve to try to argue or question further.

Team Arrow had Oliver's back.

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**AN2: Really hope you're enjoying it still :-) Comments & kudos feed the Muse lol, thank you so much!**


	10. Go Team Arrow!

**Chapter 10 – Go Team Arrow**

**AN: Hey all, thanks so much for the comments & kudos, means so much to me! Rennie thanks for yet another fast turnaround allowing me to update so fast again :-D**

**I mention Oliver's fighting styles in this & have taken the info is from Arrow wiki so sorry if it's wrong guys :)**

_**As always, unspoken conversations, thoughts, and memories are in italics.** _

**Disclaimer: I know, I know, I don't own Arrow.**

* * *

_They couldn't protect Oliver from his memories, his own mind, but they_ would  _protect him from having to talk any further this night. Roy came and joined them too, completing the wider Team Arrow, and all four of them together gave off such a forbidding air that nobody had the nerve to try to argue or question further._

_Team Arrow had Oliver's back._

**_Felicity's POV_ **

Felicity woke early and looking around saw that everyone else was still asleep, save Diggle who was sitting where Oliver had been, keeping watch. He looked over to her and half smiled before answering her unspoken question.

"Oliver's outside training."

Felicity came and sat down on the rock next to Diggle and saw Oliver outside as Diggle had said. Oliver was training parkour style, treating every part of the landscape around him as a tool to be used. Felicity was taken aback at the way Oliver was going, the speed he was going. She had seen him parkour before of course – many, many times – but always in the lair or the city, never out here on the Island like this. It was so impressive, but at the same time it was strange to see him working out with his shirt on. Oliver stopped at the base of a tree before going at it as if it was the training dummy. Felicity realized this was how and where he had learnt most of what he knew in the first place.

Oliver was obviously very tense and seemed angry too and Felicity knew it was because of his nightmare waking everybody up. It had taken a lot out of him having to explain it everyone, especially after just having to relive it. She wanted to help him but wasn't sure how. As the others woke up the mood was very subdued and on edge throughout the camp. Felicity looked at Diggle knowing he was worried about it too. They needed to do something to improve the morale, she just needed to think of what.

Felicity looked around for inspiration before perceiving that the answer was right in front of her. Oliver. He needed to work off tension and they needed to get the images and sounds of last night out of their minds. They needed to be able to trust in him in his abilities, in the abilities of the whole Team to keep them safe.  _What better way to do that than by seeing him spar?!_ She thought smiling.

**_Diggle's POV_ **

"What you planning in that genius brain of yours?" Diggle asked seeing her look.

"Oh nothing, just how to improve Oliver's mood and restore morale in one go." Felicity answered smugly.

"And how are you going to do that then?" Diggle asked slightly warily. He knew that when Felicity got that look there was no arguing with her so whatever it was she had planned this time it was going to happen, he just hoped he was going to like it.

"I'm not, you are." Felicity grinned even wider at the look on Diggle's face. "Or more precisely you, Oliver, and Sara are going to. Look, he needs to work off some of that energy and regain his focus on now instead of on last night and they need to get last night out of their heads too and need to trust we can protect them but how can they do that when they don't even really know that we're a Team let alone what it is you guys are capable of so the best way for them to know that is to see. So you show them, you spar with Oliver first and then both of you with Sara just as you do in the lair."

Diggle nodded slowly, agreeing. Felicity was right  _as always_. He was going to end up with a load more bruises, of course, but that was nothing new when he sparred with them.  _We need to train anyway, so why not take the chance to encourage them all at the same time?_

"Okay yeah, it's a good plan Felicity. I'll talk to Sara and the rest while you talk to Oliver." Diggle was happy to do it, but as it was her idea she could be the one to tell Oliver, just in case he didn't agree.  _There's no way Oliver will be able to win an argument with Felicity anyway._

He went over to Sara who had come outside and was just finishing a breakfast of leftovers from last night's dinner. Diggle explained Felicity's plan to her and although Sara was unsure to start with, she agreed it was a good idea and worth a try. They needed to train anyway and Diggle had yet to train out here, he knew he needed to familiarize himself far more with the landscape.

From the sounds of it Oliver wasn't agreeing with Felicity so easily though. Diggle just smiled and left them to it as he entered the cave to speak to the rest who were now starting to stir and get up too.  _There's no way he's going to have any choice about this so they might as well be ready._

"Morning all." Diggle paused waiting for their full attention before continuing. "We know that you're all still a little shaken up from last night and everything else that's happened in the last couple of days. We understand that and know that you don't know enough to trust us to protect you yet. So, we've agreed it would be a good idea for you to actually  _see_ what Oliver can do, what we all can do."

Diggle looked around gauging the various expressions. Thea looked curiously interested, as did Laurel. Moira looked concerned but seemed willing to listen. Lance and Walter both shared a small smile, they had seen the Arrow up close after all and, of course, Lance had seen Sara too. Roy was clearly worried and Diggle understood he wasn't ready to reveal about the Mirakuru yet. Diggle shook his head very slightly at Roy to indicate that they weren't going to say anything about that until  _Roy_ was ready. Roy sighed slightly in relief and mouthed a silent thank you, he was standing at the back and Diggle was the only one who could see his face.

Diggle turned and walked back outside knowing they would follow. Sara was already there standing off to one side. She had agreed it would be best for Oliver and him to spar first, impress with what they could do. Then Sara would join in to prove that size and strength was definitely not everything – they needed to know that just because Slade was stronger didn't mean he would win and Sara was the best way to make that point.

Oliver was standing there ready too, glaring at Felicity, but still ready - except for one thing. Diggle noticed that Oliver still had his shirt on and he never trained with it on. If they were to trust Team Arrow then they had to get to know them as they were, as they really were – no more hiding. Diggle walked over to the clearing where Oliver was waiting before stopping just short and removing his own shirt.

**_Oliver's POV_ **

Diggle looked at Oliver pointedly who hesitated before giving a single nod to show he was going to remove his own shirt, understanding the point Diggle was making.  _But not quite yet._  Oliver understood Felicity's plan even if he wasn't completely sure about it. When it came to the emotional stuff her instincts were far better than his own however so he was willing to trust her and follow her lead. Oliver wanted to be sure that everybody recognized Diggle's skills and training before they started sparing.  _Time for a little introduction._

"Okay you all know John Diggle and have become used to him being my shadow as my faithful bodyguard..."

"Black driver." Diggle said with a grin, making Oliver laugh briefly before he continued.

"...but you don't all know his background. As some of you know Digg is Special Forces out of Khandahar, so he is very highly trained and very skilled." Oliver paused to let them absorb that, he knew that everybody present had a very high regard for the military and had a lot of respect for the men and women who put their lives on the line for their country, as did he. "As well as that, Digg has also been working as my partner since a few months after my return. Many of the lives that have been saved have been down to him."

"Thanks man." Diggle said very quietly, so that only Oliver and Sara could hear.

**_Mixed POV_ **

Oliver and Diggle put their combat knives and the bamboo batons Oliver had also grabbed from the fuselage to one side, meaning to show them hand-to-hand combat first.

"Ermm, Ollie, are you sure about this? I know you're the Arrow and everything, but Diggle is well..." Thea's voice faltered tailing off, not quite knowing  _how_ to finish that sentence without offending either man.

"It's fine Speedy, I know he has arms the size of bowling balls but you don't need to worry." Oliver reassured her, trying and failing to hide a smirk.

"Okayyy." Thea said, still unsure. "But he's not actually going to hurt you or anything?"

Roy laughed at that. "Thea, these guys don't hold back when they spar, everything is all-out, no holds barred, but your brother won't be the one getting hurt, trust me!"

Diggle glared at Roy, trying but failing to be offended, he knew that Roy was all too right – after all that size was not important was the very point they were going to illustrate when Sara joined in. _Besides, the only time I manage to hurt Oliver is when he's distracted, which is so not going to be now._

Oliver took his shirt off deliberately facing them all, as if daring them to say anything this time. Diggle was right, this was about trust and if they were to trust him then they had to know him. That meant being himself and not one of the masks he normally wore – therefore Oliver needed to train as he always did. Besides, as Felicity had pointed out, it would be a good way to stop them focusing on the scars and let them see what he had become in spite of them.

Diggle saw Oliver give the slightest hint of a nod, the closest he'd ever get to a warning and then they were fighting all out and going at it as fast as they could. Diggle's style was mostly the Eskrima that the Special Forces taught, with a mix of things he'd picked up from Oliver and Sara along the way. Oliver's style by comparison was far more of a mix, reflecting something of each of the mentors he had had including various types of martial arts from Eskrima to Wing Chun, from Hapkido to Jujitsu, not to mention the things he had learnt from the Bratva.

The non-Team members watching were amazed at the speed of what they were watching. Hands and legs were flying everywhere, blocks, kicks, hits, flips. They could hardly keep up with what they were seeing. Despite the speed of the fight it was very clear almost instantly that Oliver was the better fighter, Roy had been right, there was no way Oliver would be the one getting hurt.

After a few minutes of hand-to-hand Oliver said "Weapons."

Both Oliver and Diggle grabbed the knives without pausing and adding them in to the fight. Diggle did manage to catch Oliver, once, but Oliver caught Diggle far more times and Diggle wondered if Oliver had allowed him that one hit. He didn't have time to think about it though as the sparring required his full attention.

Soon after that Oliver flipped out of yet another failed hold, grabbing both the bamboo batons and threw one straight to Diggle. Thea, Moira, and Laurel couldn't believe what they were seeing, they would  _never_ have believed Oliver capable of this, this level of skill – to be going up against a Special Forces guy Diggle's size and to clearly have the upper hand against him, it stunned them. Walter and Lance were less surprised, both having seen the Arrow in action up close (and, of course, Lance had seen Sara too), but even so it was still fantastic to watch.

Felicity looked around at the faces happily, knowing that she had called it right, morale was already improving and she could see the trust and confidence in their protectors building – and it would only get better when Sara joined in.

A few minutes later Oliver called a break, it was time for Sara to join in. But before she joined in he needed to make a point, needed them to understand.

"So now you've seen what we can do hopefully you are starting to understand that being the biggest or the strongest guy around does not mean you will automatically have the upper hand. Diggle is a very skilled fighter and can take out most people that he goes up against. But unlike Slade and his guys, Diggle accepts that his strength won't necessarily win him the fight. Thinking you are the best and that nobody can beat you is a sure way to lose and that's why Slade will lose this. He does not believe that anyone can stand against him, he's wrong. His mind has been warped and he's forgotten how deadly it is to underestimate people."

"Many of the criminals that we have gone up against we have been able to find, to take down because they have made that same mistake. Yes, Diggle and I are the fighters, but without Felicity we wouldn't be able to do half of what we do. She's the one who talked Detective Lance through deactivating the first earthquake machine, she's the one who found Roy when he was being held hostage, who found Walter too. Felicity is one of our secret weapons and everybody always underestimates her, big mistake." Olive grinned at Felicity seeing her blushing and opening her mouth before clamping both hands over it. Evidently she wasn't willing to trust her brain-to-mouth filter.

"Go Team Arrow!" Felicity finally said before re-clamping her hands over her mouth.

Oliver just smiled, having now given up on telling her not to call them that.  _It's not like I'm going to win that argument anyway._ He continued speaking to them all.

"Slade has made a second big mistake too. Laurel, you asked last night why Sara had to take a watch shift. I told you the truth but not all of it, it wasn't mine to tell without her agreement. Sara is the other person Slade continues to underestimate and she is going to prove to you all now that numbers, size, and strength simply do not matter when going up against somebody more skilled than you."

Oliver paused, looking at the expression of pride on Lance's face. He saw Walter glance at them briefly and it was clear his mind was going back to their comments in the fuselage yesterday about Sara being the better fighter.

"You might want to move back a little." Oliver advised as the non-Team Members had closed in a little. They backed away fast but Oliver's attention was already on Sara.

Sara suddenly flipped into the clearing, knife out in full on attack mode without giving any warning – not that either Oliver or Diggle had expected one. If the others had been amazed by Oliver's fight with Diggle, they were stunned by the sight of Sara going up against the both of them – and having the upper hand! This fight was even faster and Sara was a weapon down on the guys as there had only been two bamboo batons, but it made little difference. She was simply too fast, too skilled.

After a few more minutes Diggle backed out leaving Oliver and Sara to continue. Their fight took in every aspect of landscape around them. Trees, rocks, ditches, the parkour was like nothing the others had ever seen and all the time the knives were flashing as they fought. Neither was able to pin the other for more than a millisecond, both pulling moves that only Diggle and Felicity had ever seen before. Even Roy was stunned by some of it. Most of his time in the lair he had been training, so he hadn't seen Oliver and Sara go at it like this for more than a minute or two ever.

After sparing a little longer both suddenly stopped at a signal none of the others, including Diggle, were able to distinguish. Oliver and Sara were breathing hard, but yet not out of breath. They had a few cuts, Oliver more than Sara Diggle saw with a smirk.  _Now he knows how I feel._

"Size means nothing, strength means nothing. Speed and skill, your training and focus, are far more important. As is having a Team around you to have your back. Slade does not have that, we do – and that's why we will win." Oliver finished triumphantly.

"Go Team Arrow!" Thea said happily, echoing Felicity's earlier words.

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**AN2: Please do me the honour of leaving a comment and/or kudos if you think it deserves it, thank you!**


	11. Team Arrow Planning

**Chapter 11 – Team Arrow Planning**

**Thanks so much everyone for your kudos & comments! :-D  
Rennie - an extra big thank you goes to you for this chapter & helping me fix it!**

_**As always, thoughts, memories & unspoken conversations are in italics.** _

**Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by CW, not me.**

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_"Size means nothing, strength means nothing. Speed and skill, your training and focus, are far more important. As is having a Team around you to have your back. Slade does not have that, we do – and that's why we will win." Oliver finished triumphantly._

_"Go Team Arrow!" Thea said happily, echoing Felicity's earlier words._

**_Oliver's POV_ **

After the sparring matches morale  _had_ been a lot higher and Oliver had to admit that Felicity had been completely right about the whole plan.  _As always._  He didn't know why he bothered arguing with her anymore, it wasn't as if he ever won anyway, not on that kind of thing – not on anything at all really. Felicity did defer to him for operational and strategic matters, but that was her choosing to defer to him, not him actually winning.

Oliver kept his shirt off defiantly, now that he had shown his scars fully again there was really no point in hiding them anymore.  _If the others don't like seeing them then it is tough, to use Felicity's word from the previous night._

As Diggle and Felicity had known, seeing them fighting had been more than enough to distract them from his scars anyway. Although Oliver couldn't help but notice that Felicity always seemed to find a reason to get him shirtless – not that she'd admit to it of course.  _Mind you, I won't admit to noticing she actually does it either._  Oliver thought with a wry smile. Sooner or later things were going to come to a head between them he knew, especially with the way that all emotions seemed to be heightened on the Island.

Oliver wasn't quite sure how he felt about that to be honest. He knew that his feelings for her went well beyond those for a normal Team Member or friend. Slade had dragged her into all of this as it was so, despite his best intentions, hiding his feelings hadn't helped to keep her out of all this. Oliver knew he had made far too many rash decisions when it came to the women in his life, both on and off the Island, so he wasn't prepared to rush into anything this time.

 _Felicity is too special, too important, to mess this up._  He needed to be careful and let her know how very much she meant to him. Oliver knew that Felicity was his center, his anchor point, if he lost her he would be nothing. Oliver wished more than ever that Tommy was still alive, he missed his best friend and wingman as this was exactly the kind of thing he would have talked to him about. Oliver knew that, as close as he was to Diggle, nobody would ever be able to take Tommy's place. Although the bond he shared with Diggle was just as close, it was still a different kind of bond.

Oliver grabbed some breakfast for himself as he saw Sara sharing out the remains between those who had yet to have any, before going to sit down next to Diggle who was already eating his own share.

"We need to check out Fyers' camp today and see what Slade has left there and what he's done with the place. You up for coming with me? Sara can stay here with the rest." Oliver had already intended to do that anyway, but he still wanted to check that Diggle was up for it. He had previously planned to leave Sara with the rest of the group, but now that Roy was with them Oliver felt more confident about splitting up the group. He knew Roy wouldn't hesitate to do whatever was needed to keep Thea safe, especially as this was now the second time Slade had gone after her.

**_Mixed POV_ **

"Sure man. So that's where his army of mercs was based right?" Diggle remembered the various snippets Oliver had told him over the past couple of years well enough. But now that they were actually going there it was important to get as much information as possible. Especially under these circumstances.

"Yes. It's a decent size camp and even had a portable ATC and a landing strip, until Slade and I blew it up that is." Oliver confirmed.

Diggle stayed quiet as Oliver spoke, wanting to know more about the man who had been Oliver's friend once upon a time but was now his worst enemy. He knew just how important it was to have as much info as you can about your foe, but pushing Oliver wouldn't help. He had long since learnt that staying quiet with only the occasional prompt was the best way to get Oliver to reveal things.

"Apart from the ATC though all the structures were tents and bamboo cages, very little of which was still there by the time I left two years ago. It was a decent size encampment originally."

"Until you blew it up you mean." Diggle commented.

"Yeah, until then." Oliver smiled, remembering the destruction of the place he had hated so much. "It was in a clearing not far from a waterfall, but how much of that clearing remains now I don't know." Oliver knew just how fast the forest could reclaim the land for its own without man in the way to stop it.

"Okay. So there's no real way of knowing what we will find when we get there then?" Diggle queried.

"No. But we should be able to check it out before we get too close. There were a couple of good vantage points not too far from the camp. Slade showed them to me and we used them a few times."

"Meaning he knows exactly where they are too." Diggle replied following Oliver's thinking and understanding that there was a good chance that they could be booby-trapped.

"Exactly. The Island maps along with Slade's ASIS satellite images were all missing from the fuselage so I can't use them to show you where we're going." Oliver explained.

"Well we knew it was unlikely they'd still be here." Diggle replied not willing to get caught up on the things they didn't have. There was nothing to be gained by thinking like that after all.  _We have to make do with what it is that we actually do have._

"Before you go any further there's the small matter of your back Oliver." Felicity broke in pointedly, having come up behind them while they were talking.

"My back?" Oliver queried, not knowing what Felicity was getting at and it wasn't as if he had taken any bad hits during the sparring he knew.

"Yes. All that fighting was good for everyone's spirits, but on top of last night it seems to have broken some of your stitches. You're bleeding again." Felicity expanded.

Oliver was surprised by that, he genuinely hadn't felt them, had been too distracted by talking about the camp he realized. Now that she'd pointed it out though Oliver could feel a few small trickles of warmth running down and realized she was right.

"I'll get Sara to redo them." Felicity said.

"Nah it's all right, leave her be." Diggle said seeing that Sara was with Laurel and her Dad. "I'll do them. You got that kit still Felicity?"

"Yeah it's right here." Felicity responded holding it out.

 _Shouldda known she'd have it ready._  Diggle thought.  _One day we'll stop expecting anything else!_ He realized with a smile as she also held out a bottle of water and a handkerchief.

"It's your Mom's." Felicity clarified, looking at Oliver and seeing his quizzical expression. She turned the handkerchief slightly to reveal the hand-embroidered monogram 'MDQ'.

That made more sense to both Oliver and Diggle as they knew Felicity preferred to use tissues and insisted they were far more hygienic than handkerchiefs.  _Guess she ran out of tissues._  Oliver thought.

Diggle got to work as Oliver continued to tell them what else he could about the camp, not that there was a great deal more he could be certain of after all this time. Still, it was important to know as much as they could, even whilst they acknowledged there was no real way of knowing how much of what Oliver knew would still be accurate.

Just as Oliver stopped Diggle finished patching him back up and he came and sat down with his partners so that they were all facing each other. Felicity and Diggle both knew that Oliver was holding back, reluctant to say everything for some reason. After giving him a few more minutes Felicity realized that Oliver was struggling to find the words he needed so she decided to help him out.

"Oliver we need to know what went on there so we can be wary for the traps that Slade may have laid." She said gently.

They had already seen that Slade had a propensity for recreating past situations, in particular ones that were painful to Oliver. Especially after Oliver had filled them both in on the full details of exactly how he had found Roy.

"An awful lot happened at that camp, none of it good." Oliver said, struggling to hold back the emotion from his voice, and both Felicity and Diggle were forcibly reminded of Oliver's outburst to Felicity in the lair all that time ago.  _'These were_  five years _, five years where nothing good happened!'_

Felicity's heart nearly broke as she remembered that, understanding that this was where those five years had taken place.  _It was hard enough for Oliver to talk to us about this stuff back at the lair, how much harder it must be for him to do so here - where it actually happened._

"It's where I was first tortured, when I refused to give up Yao Fei." Oliver went on, no longer even trying to hide the emotion. "Where I was kept in a bamboo cage. Where Slade and I failed to escape on the supply plane. Where I first killed a man. It's where Slade and I were captured when I insisted on trying to rescue Yao Fei; and it was where Yao Fei was killed in front of us and his daughter Shado. I took so many beatings and injuries in that camp that I'm not even sure I can remember them all anymore."

Diggle realized he didn't actually know how many times Oliver had been tortured, or captured for that matter, during those five years. There had never been any need for him to know and so he had never asked. That kind of information wasn't the sort of thing any man had a right to ask for from another – every soldier knew that and would never break that unspoken rule. But now, as much as he hated it, it appeared that a lot more of that information was going to be relevant and Diggle truly felt for Oliver having to reveal it.

"Okay, so we focus on the ones, the places, that would have a significance to Slade – that were connected to Shado." Felicity said knowing that Oliver needed something to focus on and that he was in danger of going too deep into those memories.

"Okay." Oliver nodded his agreement, grateful for the rescue. As always Felicity was the one to bring him back from himself, to save him from his memories, and to give him the focus he needed.

"The vantage points for the failed supply plane mission, the main tent area, the ATC, and the area where the prisoners' cages were will all be significant to him." Oliver said. "As will be the supply 'road' where we captured the missile launcher initially. That was the place where I first killed a man – to save Slade's life."

"There is one other vantage point though that we can use. Slade and I didn't use it because it wasn't as good as the others, but that means there is more chance of it being safe still. At least I will be able to show you the basic lay of the land from there before we get any closer. It is a bit of a climb though." Oliver warned.

Oliver knew Diggle had no problem with heights, but it was one thing climbing with ropes and a harness, wearing proper climbing gear – and completely another free climbing rocks with no safety equipment. Especially when those rocks had a tendency to be slippery with moss. That was the other reason he and Slade hadn't used that vantage point, there was no reason increasing the risks if you didn't have to – and the others provided better views anyway.

"I'll follow your lead." Diggle said happily enough, trusting Oliver. He knew it must be pretty bad for Oliver to have given a warning, but at the same time Oliver wouldn't have suggested it if he thought it was beyond Diggle's capabilities.

"I need to speak with Sara, get some things set up here for the day, and get the water collection going again. We'll go once I'm sorted. Get one of the kit bags in case we find anything we can use. We won't need any water but if there's an empty bottle or two that would be good as we can collect water on the way. Leave the batons for Sara, she can start some basic training going with them while we're gone. Felicity she'll need you to support her and have her back. Use Walter and Lance to help you if you need to." Oliver instructed. "Roy too if you need him."

Oliver was wary of leaving Sara in command and knew she wasn't good with people like that. She had minimal people skills and they hadn't been improved by her time in the League. Sara was trying to work on them now he knew, but it would be Felicity who would be the glue to hold everyone together even if Sara was the one who would overtly be in command. Sara was the only one with sufficient fighting skills and so there was no choice there.

Oliver just hoped that the display of her abilities would make the rest wary of crossing Sara – just as Felicity had already proven the previous day that it was a very bad idea to cross her! He'd noticed straight away that others were more careful of how they spoke around her and less willing to argue with her.  _Looks like people are finally figuring out how scary Felicity can be._  Oliver thought with a wry smile, realizing how unlikely it was that she would actually need Walter, Lance, or Roy to back her up. Nevertheless, it was good for her to know that they would be there while he couldn't be and Oliver decided to speak to them as well so that they would be prepared if needed.

Diggle and Oliver left Felicity sitting in the sun as she finally ate her share of the food as they both went to their separate tasks. Once she was out of earshot they agreed that Diggle should speak to Walter, Lance, and Roy instead of Oliver; and meanwhile Oliver would speak to Sara and then to Moira, Thea, and Laurel together. That way everybody would be aware of where they were going and why, and what the plans were for the day.

Sara agreed easily enough to the plans, having already been aware that Oliver and Diggle would be going anyway following the discussion yesterday back at the fuselage. Truth be told she was glad that she wasn't going to be the one going to Fyers' camp. She had enough bad memories of this place as it was without having to go there as well. Sara acknowledged that she may have to at some point, but was happy to take the reprieve offered.

Initially Sara had been worried about whether everybody would actually listen to her taking charge in Oliver's absence, but even in the short time that had passed since their sparring the others had been more wary of her. Plus Oliver told her that Felicity would be backing her up and Sara was more than willing to trust Felicity's instincts when it came to managing people and keeping the group together. Sara was well aware that Felicity was the reason that Team Arrow was such a strong team.

**_Oliver's POV_ **

Thea, Moira, and Laurel were not pleased to hear that Oliver would be leaving them yet again, and that he would be taking Diggle with him this time. However, it was evident that they now understood that Sara really was capable of fighting and they trusted her more to look after them, thanks to Felicity's plan.

Thea spoke first simply offering her support. "Stay safe Ollie."

Oliver could see his sister wasn't happy at him going but she could understand it was important and he really appreciated her support. He was struck yet again by how much his sister had matured over the past year or so, she was now so difference from the sister he had first come back to and Oliver was proud of her.

His Mom nodded her agreement to Thea's words before putting her hand on his arm, uncertainly. "We need to talk later Oliver, please?"

He was surprised to notice that she had phrased it as a request instead of an order she was insisting upon like she always had. The events of last night had left her seriously subdued, even though she had brightened up a little after the sparring.

"Sure, when we get back okay." Oliver offered. If she was willing to ask for once then he needed to make an effort too. Life on the Island was too fragile to leave their existing disputes in play, even without Slade threatening them. He knew that he had to be willing to work on their relationship, especially as it seemed she was trying to make the first move.

Laurel seemed more wary and unhappy than his Mom and Thea had and she opened her mouth to say something. Before she spoke though Oliver noted that her eyes caught sight of something over his shoulder and she hesitated before repeating Thea's words. It was plain that hadn't been what she had intended to say however.

Oliver turned round to where Laurel had been looking only to see Felicity standing there looking at them pointedly. Felicity met his eyes with a smile and Oliver knew instantly that she had been the reason Laurel had changed her intended words. He returned her smile knowing that, as ever, Felicity had his back.


	12. Thea

**Chapter 12 – Thea**

**AN: Big shout out of thanks to everyone who's left kudos & comments, you are all brilliant & I'm very grateful to you! Rennie thank you more than ever for getting this done so fast despite real life stuff getting in the way!**

_**As always, thoughts, memories, & unspoken conversations are in italics :)** _

**Disclaimer: Yup, this show still isn't mine – Arrow belongs to CW.**

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_Oliver turned round to where Laurel had been looking only to see Felicity standing there looking at them pointedly. Felicity met his eyes with a smile and Oliver knew instantly that she had been the reason Laurel had changed her intended words. He returned her smile knowing that, as ever, Felicity had his back._

**_Thea's POV_ **

Thea had been about to go relieve herself when she noticed that Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle were sitting nearby and she could hear that they were deep in conversation. Without meaning to though she overheard Oliver speaking.

"...awful lot happened at that camp, none of it good." Oliver stopped speaking for a minute after Diggle sat down.

Thea paused, not wanting to go further and risk them noticing, she didn't want to disturb them and this was clearly a private conversation they were having. As she hesitated though Oliver started speaking again and Thea found herself unable to leave, she was rooted to the ground by what she was hearing.

"It's where I was first tortured, when I refused to give up Yao Fei. Where I was kept in a bamboo cage. Where Slade and I failed to escape on the supply plane. Where I first killed a man. It's where Slade and I were captured when I insisted on trying to rescue Yao Fei; and it was where Yao Fei was killed in front of us and his daughter Shado. I took so many beatings and injuries in that camp that I'm not even sure I can remember them all anymore."

The pain in her brother's voice was heartbreaking as she listened in horror to him admitting to just some of what he had been through. Thea could remember when she had first seen Oliver's scars she had asked him what happened and he had refused to talk about, said he needed time. Now she could see why! Thea wished she had never pushed him now, but there was no way that the spoilt brat that she had been back then would even have been able to start to understand just what had happened to her brother.

Thea could feel the tears pricking in her eyes and as Felicity started to speak the spell was broken. Thea ran for the safety of the cave as fast and silently as she could, getting there just as the first tears broke over and ran down her cheeks.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thea struggled for the rest of the day to try to keep what she had heard out of her mind until Oliver returned and she would be able to speak to him finally. But despite being put through her paces by Sara, Thea was unable to focus.  _Can't believe how much of a slave driver that woman is!_ As a result she spent a good portion of the day being thrown on her back on the ground by Felicity, who Sara had partnered her with for the self-defense lessons Oliver and Sara had decided they all needed.

**_Felicity's POV_ **

Felicity could clearly see how distracted Thea was and after several attempts she finally got the younger girl to quietly admit to what was wrong while they took a break.

"I heard him." Thea said, but Felicity just looked blank wondering just what and who Thea had heard this time.

"Earlier, when Oliver was talking to you ... I … I overheard what he said, about the camp and … what happened to him." Thea finally managed to get out.

_Oh crap!_ Felicity thought succinctly at the same time as being surprised that Oliver had continued speaking and actually admitted to all  _that_ whilst his sister was within earshot. Felicity knew all too well that Oliver would have been completely aware that Thea was there, even if Thea didn't realize that – yet.

Suddenly it became all too clear why Oliver had hesitated to continue speaking after Diggle sat down. It hadn't been so much that he was reluctant to tell  _them_ , but that he was reluctant to do so while Thea could hear. That he had decided to do so anyway was huge – far bigger than Felicity knew Thea would be able to appreciate for now. As much as Felicity wanted to let know Thea know just how much Oliver must trust her to have said all  _that_ while she could hear, she knew that it would have to come from him. This was a conversation that the two siblings needed to have together, in private.

**_Thea's POV_ **

Thea was infuriated by Felicity's refusal to properly discuss what she had overheard and was still amazed by the way that Felicity and Diggle had hardly even seemed to react to what they had heard. Thea had seen a small glint of light reflecting off a single tear on the blonde's cheek, but apart from that neither of them had even seemed to react at all. She could see this Team was incredibly tight even if she didn't fully understand their bond yet, so Thea couldn't understand why they hadn't been more affected. Thea knew that this was yet another set of words that she would never be able to erase from her memory.

Despite all her best efforts throughout the rest of their training, all she could get out of Felicity was that she needed to sit down and properly speak to Oliver. Very few people had ever been able to match Thea Queen when it came to stubbornness (and until now she had been related to all of them), but it appeared that in Felicity Smoak Thea had finally met her match.

Thea gave up as soon as the training was over and she went to speak to Roy instead. She was still angry with him for keeping all of this from her, even as she acknowledged that it hadn't been his secret to tell. However, it wouldn't hurt to let her boyfriend see that anger, maybe she'd be able to get some answers out of him instead. Roy had hardly ever been able to refuse her when she pushed on something after all – and on this Thea intended to push.

She knew that Felicity was right and she definitely would need to speak to her brother. But Thea wanted as much information as she could get before having that conversation. She needed to know why he had kept it all from her, from all of them. She could understand keeping his identity as the Arrow secret well enough. But she'd seen of his scars so why hadn't he been able to ever talk about any of them?  _Surely as time had gone by he could have talked to us, to me?_

Much to Thea's surprise, Roy proved to be just as obstinate at Felicity and he refused to tell her anything either. All she managed to get out of him was that he knew hardly anything either and Roy said that she now knew more than he did about some of Oliver's Island experiences. Thea was quick to notice that Roy had said 'some' and not 'all' of Oliver's experiences. Roy said that Felicity and Diggle knew far more than him, but her brother really did  _not_ like to talk about his time on the Island. What little Oliver had revealed to Roy he had done so in confidence and Roy was not about to break those confidences.

As frustrated as Thea was by this, she was also impressed by her boyfriend's loyalty to her brother and was grateful to Roy for that. With everything Oliver had been through - and she was starting to understand she may never even know half of what that actually was – it was clear that Oliver was in need of good friends. Thea was happy that her brother had found such good and loyal people to be with him and support him. It was evident that they truly were a Team and a closer one than Thea had ever before seen. No wonder Felicity had always seemed to be by Oliver's side despite their insistences that they were just friends and nothing was going on.  _Mind you, only a blind man could miss the way that he looks at her! Going to have to do something about that ..._

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**AN2: OK so I know this update was a little shorter, but the next chapter is proving hard to write & as I'm now back at work I have less time, sorry! Will get the next update done as soon as I can & I ask for your patience in the meantime. Thank you all! Please do me a favour & continue to let me know what you think, thank you!**


	13. Fyers' Camp

**Chapter 13 – Fyres' Camp**

**AN: WARNING This chapter contains descriptions of torture – in line with the show, but please do exercise caution and be very careful if this is something you may be sensitive to. Rennie - your fast turnarounds are nothing short of amazing, thank you so much for these & your support my cariad!**

**_Unspoken conversations, thoughts, & memories are in italics._ **

**Disclaimer: Same as ever guys, you know it - I own nothing.**

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_With everything Oliver had been through - and she was starting to understand she may never even know half of what that actually was – it was clear that Oliver was in need of good friends. Thea was happy that her brother had found such good and loyal people to be with him and support him. It was evident that they truly were a Team and a closer one that Thea had ever before seen. No wonder Felicity had always seemed to be by Oliver's side despite their insistences that they were just friends and nothing was going on._ Mind you, only a blind man could miss the way that he looks at her! Going to have to do something about that ...

**_Mixed POV_ **

After leaving the others back at the cave Oliver and Diggle had made good progress towards Fyers' camp, stopping only briefly on the way for Oliver to restart a water collection system so that they wouldn't run out of drinkable water.

"It's not as pure as they will be used to, but it's safe enough to drink." Oliver commented.

"As long as it's safe it doesn't matter man, don't worry about it." Diggle reassured. He suspected that certain members of the group wouldn't be too keen on it, but they would just have to put up with it. If Oliver said it was safe to drink then that was all that mattered.

After a few hours they made it to the vantage point Oliver had mentioned and Diggle understood what Oliver had meant. The climb was pretty steep and there was moss on the rocks. The rock face itself had a lot of shale and he suspected it would be dangerous going, especially if that moss made things as slippery as Diggle suspected it would be. He took a couple of deep breaths before indicating to Oliver to go first, knowing that Oliver would see handholds and grip points far more clearly so it would be safer for him to follow the path that Oliver took.

"You ready for this?" Oliver queried before starting. "You can keep watch down here if you prefer?" He knew full well that Diggle wouldn't stay behind, but wanted to give him the option anyway.

**_Diggle's POV_ **

"Nah man, I'm coming with you. Lead the way." Diggle replied with a small smile.

They stayed quiet after that needing to focus on the climb itself. As the wind was getting stronger too Diggle was loathe to speak in case any sound carried to the camp. Unless Oliver signaled it was okay he was going to stay silent.

Once they got to the top Oliver spoke quietly. "The view is more obscured than it used to be, but you can still see some of it from here."

Oliver quietly pointed out to him the relevant areas that they had agreed Slade would be likely to focus on. The camp wasn't in a great condition, but the main tent was still in one piece. The area had plenty of cover and concealed areas, there was no way from here that they would be able to verify if it was clear or not. Diggle realized that was going to be the case regardless, there were just too many possibilities to check. Going in was going to be a risk, but it was one they needed to take.

Diggle could see straight away this was a far more defensible area than the fuselage or even the cave, and yet he knew that even after getting rid of Fyers they hadn't taken the camp for their own – just as Oliver hadn't suggested using it now.

"There's too many bad memories here. Slade, Shado, and I were more comfortable in the fuselage; it was ours and Fyers never did find out where it was so it was still safe even if he had managed to get a message out before we destroyed the camp – we were never certain about that." As usual Oliver answered before Diggle had even phrased the question.

They stayed there observing the camp for a fair while before climbing back down. They had not seen any sign of movement within the camp, but both knew that this meant nothing with that many areas where someone could conceal themselves.  _Just because they couldn't see anybody, definitely doesn't mean they aren't there._ Diggle knew.

Diggle was quite pleased that he had managed to make it all the way up and back down again with nothing more than a few small scrapes. Even though the shale had moved quite a lot and it had caused him to lose his footing on more than one occasion. Diggle was just relieved that he had managed to not fall and break something.  _Would be more than a little embarrassing!_

When they got into the camp Oliver stopped short suddenly. "Something is wrong."

"What?" Diggle was instantly more alert than ever.

"I don't know, but the airflow is off."

Diggle didn't completely understand that comment but knew Oliver well enough not to argue, if he said something was wrong then that was enough for him.  _Oliver didn't survive here for five years by ignoring his instincts._

"How do you want to proceed?" Diggle asked.

**_Oliver's POV_ **

Oliver was relieved that Diggle hadn't queried his comment – even though he knew it was more than a little vague. He knew that was a sign of how far they had come as a Team that he didn't even have to explain for the older man to trust him and Oliver valued that trust highly.

"We split up. You stay here while I go ahead. That way if I get caught you will still be okay. Head back to the cave if I don't come back in 15 minutes." Oliver instructed. "Do you think you can find your way back there okay?"

**_Diggle's POV_ **

"Yeah, might make a few wrong turnings but I can find it again from high ground if I have to." Diggle had paid close attention to all the identifying rock formations Oliver had shown him on the way knowing how important it was for him to be able to navigate the Island on his own too. He wasn't keen on the idea of leaving Oliver on his own but knew that Oliver's expertise on the Island was far superior to his own.

They made their way to one of the camouflage areas that Oliver 'felt' was empty and Diggle hunkered down there.  _Still don't get this airflow thing._ He kept a watch on as much of the surrounding area as he could whilst Oliver made his way forward toward Fyers' tent, arrow nocked in readiness.

**_Oliver's POV_ **

Oliver still felt that something was wrong, there was something off here even if he couldn't figure out exactly what it was yet. He was annoyed with himself for that, even though the area had changed and the forest now came further into camp Oliver felt he should still be able to identify whatever it was that had the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.

The wind changed just as he was opening the tent flap and Oliver caught a whiff of Slade's own scent.  _He's here,_ Oliver registered a half second before the Australian came into view.

"Wondered how long it was going to take you kid. So you used that other vantage point after all. Told you it wasn't as good." Slade smirked as he spoke.

Slade had the body armor on but not the mask, letting his face be on full view and Oliver knew that was so that he could see the smirks, see Slade mocking him. This bow was not powerful enough to use in a straight fight with Slade, he could break its wood in a heartbeat. Oliver was unsure if Slade would ever actually do that – the fact that he had kept her bow safe all this time spoke to how much Slade valued it, but Oliver wasn't prepared to take that risk. He wouldn't be able to shoot him from here either without Slade catching the arrow as it was too close.  _Slade will see my fingers release._

Oliver stayed silent, waiting Slade out. Patience had never been his strong suit even before the Mirakuru and Oliver wasn't going to do anything without knowing what Slade had planned this time unless he had to. Regardless, he knew this wouldn't end well and wondered abstractly how many more scars he was going to end up with this time.  _Should have brought a bigger sewing kit Felicity._

"So how'd they take it?" Slade queried indicating the Hood. "Being lied to by you for so long. Is the lovely Laurel still speaking to you? Couldn't lie you way out of it this time kid." Slade finished with a twisted grin.

"Better than you expected." Oliver said, refusing to expand on that. He knew the more information he gave Slade the more potential ammunition the man would have. There was also no real way to tell how he would take anything Oliver said and Oliver knew how the Mirakuru warped Slade's comprehension of whatever he heard. Saying more than the minimum was too risky.

"Well we'll just have to see what they say when they see how much they can be hurt by being around you – starting with your friend here. Let's see just how long he sticks around once he has matching scars." Slade's voice was ominous and the threat it contained was worrying.

Oliver whipped his head around following Slade's eye-line, only to see Diggle being brought in, hands restrained behind his back and with a gun at the base of his skull.

**_Diggle's POV_ **

"Sorry man." Diggle said before going quiet as he saw the slight movement of Oliver's eyes indicating the need to stay quiet. He was furious at himself for having been captured, but knew that truthfully there was little if anything he could have done to have avoided it. They had just been too fast and he was outnumbered too greatly. Diggle knew that to have continued fighting would only have resulted in incurring injuries beyond the bruising he'd just received – bad injuries that may have made it impossible for him to help Oliver.

Diggle had heard Slade's threatening promise as he was brought in and was more worried by it than he wanted to admit. He knew there was no line that Slade wasn't willing to cross, the things that Oliver had revealed, that he had seen himself proved that. Oliver was disarmed and then tied up too by Slade and, although Diggle couldn't see what restraints had been used, he was sure that Slade wouldn't make a mistake like using zip ties that Oliver could break.

Diggle knew that whatever happened next it wasn't going to be good. He was determined that Slade wasn't going to succeed though – no matter what happened he was not going to turn his back on Oliver! Diggle recalled Oliver telling him about Slade's former partner Billy Wintergreen and how Slade had insisted that everybody was only out for themselves in this life.  _If that's what Slade thought even before the Mirakuru, how much more must he be convinced of it now?!_

Diggle saw Slade getting out a wicked looking blade and realized that his plan was to inflict enough damage to force Diggle to turn his back on Oliver – just as Billy Wintergreen had to him. Slade was clearly prepared to do whatever it took to make Diggle betray Oliver in order to make the pain stop. He remembered now Oliver saying that he'd found out from Slade that Billy had been the one to torture Oliver for Yao Fei's location, giving him those knife scars on his chest.

_Damn!_ Diggle thought as his brain caught up with Slade's plan.  _That's what he meant by matching scars._ Slade was going to do to him what Billy had to Oliver.

Diggle focused on Oliver, trying desperately to show with his eyes that he understood, that he knew what Slade was going to do – and that it was  _not_ Oliver's fault. He needed Oliver to know that he didn't blame him for any of this.  _If Oliver was able to survive this back when he was first here then so can I!_ Diggle told himself determinedly. He slowed his breathing and in turn his heart-rate, knowing that it would slow his circulation slightly helping to reduce his inevitable blood loss. Diggle was thankful for the training his time in the Special Forces had afforded him, he had some understanding of how to deal with pain and torture.  _Unlike when Oliver first went through this!_

All this flashed through Diggle's mind in a few seconds as Slade walked up to him and used the knife to slit his shirt in two. Diggle kept his focus firmly on Oliver refusing to even acknowledge Slade as the knife trailed over his chest, pressing in with the point just barely enough to break the skin. He was therefore taken by surprise when Slade suddenly whirled on his heel and stabbed Oliver instead.

Oliver let out the beginning of a scream before clamping down on it and it was clear that he hadn't been expecting that right then either. Slade had stabbed Oliver in the same location as one of the scars from Billy and Diggle was certain that was intentional.

"Before we let your friend here know what this feels like though it's time to refresh your own memory kid." Slade laughed as he pulled the knife out before using it to split open what was left of Oliver's shirt too.

Diggle kept his eyes fixed on Oliver's knowing that Oliver was using that focus to keep his mind off his own pain. Slade drew the blade across Oliver's torso again mimicking the injuries originally inflicted by Billy, before turning and cutting the same line on Diggle's torso too. This time Diggle had seen Slade begin to turn but, even so, he was unable to hold back his own scream as fire flared in the path of the knife. How Oliver had bared this with no more than a low moan was beyond him – let alone been able to cut off that scream. Even as Diggle fought to get his own pain under control he felt his respect for Oliver grow even greater than before.

_Slade might think he's going to drive a wedge between us by doing this but he's wrong! All he's doing is creating the bond of a shared adversity and experience._ Diggle had never put more effort into communicating without words and he really hoped that Oliver would still be able to read his mind through the pain.  _If it feels like this to me then how much more pain must Oliver be in?_ Diggle wondered as Slade turned back to Oliver, inflicting more damage.

After every two or three wounds to Oliver Slade turned again duplicating the last wound on Diggle. All the while Slade was talking, taunting Oliver, telling him that all this was  _his fault_ , telling Diggle that he was going through this because of Oliver, that Oliver was responsible for the Shado's death - and that soon enough Oliver would be responsible for Diggle's death too.

Slade continued with this for a few more rounds before stopping and putting down the knife. Diggle's glimmer of relief quickly turned to horror as Slade proceeded to pick up a pistol in its place.

"You made me have to put up with you digging a bullet out of my arm when I got shot because you couldn't do your job properly. Now it's your turn." Slade growled out in his Australian drawl, his voice full of venom, as he shot Oliver in the arm.

Diggle was relieved to see that Oliver's left arm that was shot, knowing that it would affect his archery skills the least. That surprised him though as Oliver had told him about Slade being shot because of him.  _Thought Oliver said that Slade was shot in the right arm? Has Slade's memory been affected by the Mirakuru too, or did he change which arm for a reason – and if so, what?_ Diggle knew they would have to think about that later.

Despite Slade's behavior and threats Diggle didn't believe that he intended for either of them to die today. Slade wanted Oliver to truly suffer, had refused to kill him all along because of that so he wasn't likely to change that now. Diggle had been hurt less than Oliver so if Slade didn't want Oliver to die then Diggle's injuries wouldn't be enough to kill him either. Equally he knew that Slade intended to drive Oliver and him apart, to break up their Team.  _Why bother to try to drive a wedge between us if he's only going to kill us. Slade's brain might be warped but all of his actions to date have had some – admittedly very twisted – logic and plan to them._ Diggle just couldn't see that changing all of a sudden.

Oliver's focus was starting to slip just a fraction and Diggle knew that the blood loss and pain were beginning to get to the younger man. He had been assessing the situation looking for possible weaknesses and escape opportunities from the beginning – just as he knew Oliver would have been doing too – but still he had nothing.  _Not sure exactly how we're going to get out of this._

Just as he thought that however, Diggle felt a heavy blow to the back of his head and the world quickly went dark.

Diggle came to to find himself lying on the ground still in Fyers' tent and Oliver was on the ground nearby. He looked around quickly and saw that Slade and his Mirakuru enhanced goons were gone. It appeared to be only him and Oliver still here – and they were no longer restrained or tied up. Oliver was still out cold much to Diggle's concerned surprise – Oliver always regained consciousness before anyone else.  _Just how much blood loss has he sustained to still be out cold – and was he knocked out at the same time as me for the matter?_

Oliver groaned then, starting to come round much to Diggle's relief. He called the younger man's name, being careful as always to keep a safe distance away – something that was even more important after everything that had just happened Diggle knew. He was wary of what Slade had planned next.  _Does he mean to just let us go for now, intending to see how much damage has been done to my friendship with Oliver (none!) - or is there something waiting the second we step outside the tent?_

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**AN2: Hope you all enjoyed this longer chapter which I've done to make up for the shorter last one. Please do let me know what you all think - thank you so much! I look forward to reading your comments pretty please, thanks!**


	14. Escape

**Chapter 14 – Escape**

**AN: Thank you all so much for continuing to support with comments & kudos, you are all brilliant! **

**Rennie thanks loads for fitting this beta into your currently super busy life - you're a star! All mistakes are still mine though :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as ever guys, you know it - I own nothing.**

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_Oliver groaned then, starting to come round much to Diggle's relief. He called the younger man's name, being careful as always to keep a safe distance away – something that was even more important after everything that had just happened Diggle knew. He was wary of what Slade had planned he mean to just let us go for now, intending to see how much damage has been done to my friendship with Oliver (none!) - or is there something waiting the second we step outside the tent?_

**_Mixed POV_ **

Oliver opened his eyes very, very slightly, being careful not to reveal the fact that he was fully conscious just yet. Every part of him was on edge, on high alert, trying to sense what dangers he was surrounded by. He was in a lot of pain and remembered the capture and torture by Slade. Oliver could sense that there was one other person nearby and just hoped that it was Diggle. He remembered seeing a movement right behind Diggle milliseconds before being hit on the back of the head and knocked out himself.

Oliver was surprised to note that he was no longer restrained or tied up, but was merely lying on the ground. He was unable to sense anyone other than that one person and now he could hear some moans that he recognized as coming from Diggle. He opened his eyes properly, relieved to hear Diggle's voice and see that he had been right, there was nobody else still in the tent.

"Oliver, you okay man?" Diggle queried.

Diggle put his hand up to the back of his head and wasn't surprised to find it came away sticky with blood. Thankfully the bleeding had all but stopped and Diggle knew it wasn't an injury that he needed to particularly worry about right now. He was far more concerned about Oliver and now that the younger man was responding Diggle went closer intending to help him up.

He stumbled on his first attempt to get up and Diggle realized that although there was still no need to worry, he had been hit harder than he'd initially thought. Moving had started off a throbbing and he knew that he was going to have one heck of a headache. In of itself that was nothing of course, but Diggle knew that was the kind of thing that could reduce awareness and slow reaction times – which in this situation would definitely be considered dangerous.

"Yeah. You? Is Slade still here do you know?" Oliver asked, his voice just as quiet as Diggle's had been.

Until they knew otherwise they would operate on the assumption that Slade and his goons were still nearby and could be listening. Oliver wasn't going to risk saying anything that could potentially help him. He knew it was likely that Slade was aware of the location of the rest of the group, and that hiding from him on the Island was impossible, but there was no point in making things easier for him either.

"I'm okay, don't worry about me. I don't know about Slade, I only came round a minute before you." Diggle responded as he helped Oliver to his feet.

Oliver hissed in pain as he had used his left arm for balance as he got up. The bullet wound was still bleeding although it had slowed now and Oliver knew there was a high risk of it getting infected just as Slade's had done. When Slade had left the Island they had been out of Yao Fei's herbs and had been unable to find where they grew. Since then however, Oliver had finally found their location so he would be able to use them to combat any infection at least -  _as long as Slade hasn't found them now too._

Oliver tore a strip of cloth from the remnants of his shirt and Diggle used it to bind his arm. It was a long way from sterile and the bullet would still need removing, but it would do for now. That done, both made their way carefully to the tent flap. Oliver held up his hand to Diggle indicating for him to hold position as he very carefully looked outside. He couldn't see anything, but was all too aware of how little that meant in this of all places. That was another reason they had never wanted to camp here, there were too many routes of approach and too many places to hide to be able to cover them all. The amount of times he and Slade had infiltrated the camp themselves proved that,  _even managed to do it myself before I had any training._

He crept outside staying low to the ground keeping himself as small a target as possible as he continued to operate on the assumption that Slade had not left. He looked around carefully as he crept using all his senses to the best of his abilities, but despite that he was unable to sense anyone else in the vicinity. He edged further away from the tent, Diggle staying put as ordered, but there was still nobody he could see or sense.

As he got further away Oliver noticed a small piece of paper fixed to the ground with an arrow. The paper was yellow and he knew instantly it was another one of Slade's notes. Oliver went back inside the tent and updated Diggle on the note and the lack of anybody around – that he could see or sense anyway. They agreed that Oliver would go for the note while Diggle kept watch from the entrance to the tent. Both were aware that it could easily be a trap, but even if it wasn't it was clear that Slade was still playing mind games, making them second guess everything they did and every move they made.

Oliver was also worried about where the bow was. Slade had taken it from him when they were captured but it had disappeared whilst they were knocked out. Slade had known he would be worried about the bow and Oliver recognized Slade was trying to further distract him and get him off his guard. Oliver made it to the note, still unable to see any signs of anybody else. As he'd known it would be, the note was from Slade.

_'You are responsible for your partner's pain. You are the reason he is injured now. You may have got them to accept that you are the Arrow and believe all your lies about trying to help protect people – but will they be as understanding once they see how badly they can be hurt by being around you?! You couldn't protect Mr Diggle. You couldn't save your friend Tommy. You are the reason **she** is dead - and you will be the cause of their deaths too if they don't abandon you first.'_

Oliver passed it to Diggle knowing that Slade was right. Diggle  _had_ been hurt because of him. He  _had_ failed to save Tommy, even if he no longer blamed himself for the deaths of the other 502 people –  _Merlyn caused their deaths, not me_. But he  _had_ also failed to save Shado – and if they couldn't find a way out of this he could very well end up being responsible for the deaths of the rest of his family and friends.

"He's playing games with you man." Diggle advised, knowing straight away what would be going through Oliver's head. "You aren't responsible for this, you didn't choose for any of it to happen. You didn't kill Shado Oliver and you didn't ask for us to be stranded here again. You didn't ask for us to be captured – and you certainly didn't ask to be tortured back then or for us to be tortured now either."

No matter what he said though Diggle knew it would not be enough. It was going to take far more than his words to convince Oliver that he was not responsible for Slade's actions. He just hoped that they would be able to get through to him – and Diggle knew it would take Felicity for them to have any chance. When Oliver got too depressed or caught up in self-blame she was the only one who could ever reach him and draw him back out of himself. Thea had been able to reach him before too, to a lesser extent.  _Maybe the two of the together will finally be able to fully get through to him this time._ Diggle hoped, knowing that they would need Oliver completely with them for any of them to have a chance of surviving and escaping this damned Island.

Oliver and Diggle checked out the rest of the camp but it was slow going as both of them were weak from their injuries and Oliver, in particular **,** had lost quite a bit of blood too. Oliver knew that they would need to head back to the cave very soon if they were to make it back before they lost the light. Sara and the others would soon be getting worried too as they were expecting them to be back around now. However, both men knew that they needed to check the whole compound out before they could leave otherwise they would only have to come back – something that neither man wanted to do.

They searched methodically knowing that this was not something they could rush, they needed to be thorough and cautious at the same time. Oliver and Diggle made it to the remnants of the bamboo cages last of all, Oliver stopping as the cages came into view. Diggle stopped too as he saw what Oliver had already seen. Shado's bow. Along with the quiver it had been left inside the only cage that was still vaguely in one piece. Just like with the note, it had been left in an exposed position.  _More mind games._ Diggle realized.

Oliver looked at Diggle knowing what he was thinking and nodded in agreement. The Slade he had known, had called brother before the Mirakuru, had always hated mind games – so this penchant he had for them now only served to make it easier to remind himself it was not the same man. The Slade Oliver had known was gone, leaving this stranger in his place, and Oliver grieved for the loss of his friend even as he fought to kill the man who now wore his face. Oliver took a calming breath, blocking out his increasing pain levels as he fought to hold on to the adrenaline that had sustained him this far. He nodded to Diggle indicating his readiness as he slowly approached the caged bow.

With barely a second to spare Oliver suddenly sidestepped narrowly missing being caught in a rope net that whisked up into the trees – just like the one that Yao Fei has rescued him from early on before being caught himself. Strangely enough, Oliver was reassured by this. Just being knocked out and then untied had been too easy and Oliver was suspicious of whatever plans Slade had. So to see evidence of a trap at least meant that they had a hint of what Slade was planning and it showed they had been right to expect traps and tread carefully. Oliver glanced at the older man and it was clear to see that similar thoughts were going through his head too.

Oliver made a second attempt at reaching the bow, ever vigilant for more trip wires or pressure sensors. Consequently he saw the sensor that had been hidden under the bow, but only just barely in time as he had already started to pick it up. He leapt as fast as he could keeping tight hold of the bow and quiver strap in one hand as he stretched his other arm out toward Diggle. Diggle managed to grab hold of Oliver just as the ground disappeared beneath Oliver revealing a slick sided deep hole that it would have been very hard to get back up out of, especially with their injuries.

Diggle pulled Oliver to safety, glad that Oliver had managed to avoid further injury or being trapped again; and at the same time he had thankfully managed to recover the bow.

"That was a close one!" Diggle panted as he fought to regain his breath.

"Yeah. Thanks." Oliver agreed breathing hard himself.

"You're bleeding again." Diggle observed indicating Oliver's arm.

Oliver checked it briefly before letting Diggle retie the makeshift dressing that had come loose while retrieving the bow. Once that was done they left the camp, heading back toward the cave. Both men were relieved when the camp was far enough behind them to be out of sight – and more relieved than they would admit that they hadn't come across any further traps.

Diggle made a few abortive attempts at getting Oliver to talk, but the younger man was too deep in his feelings of guilt for Diggle to be able to get through to him.  _Definitely going to need Felicity's help,_ he acknowledged to himself. He was worried about how the others – the non Team Members – would react to what had happened. Oliver was on edge and feeling bad enough as it was and Diggle knew that it would only take a few wrong words to do a  _lot_ of damage.  _Just hope they're all still too scared of Felicity and Sara to risk saying anything!_ Diggle hoped fervently.

It was even slower going on the way back to the cave as Oliver and Diggle were getting weaker and Diggle especially stumbled several times. The light was just starting to go and the long shadows made it hard to see their footing. If Oliver hadn't known the Island so well they would have been in real trouble Diggle suspected. They were exhausted and leaning on each other as they struggled to stay upright; so although they could have made it the last stretch if they had to, Oliver decided to take the help that he knew would be waiting for them.

Finally, they made it close enough to the cave to be within Sara's hearing and Oliver called Sara'a name. He was careful to moderate his tone so that she would know help was needed, but at the same time know there wasn't any imminent danger.

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**AN2: Please do continue to comment & leave kudos to let me know what you all think - I love reading all your comments :) Thank you very much!**


	15. Blame

**Chapter 15 – Blame**

**AN: As ever I thank each & every one of you who has been kind enough to comment & leave kudos :)**

**Thanks loads Rennie75 for the incredibly fast beta turnaround for me so that I could update this fast again - I'd be lost without you cariad!**

**Disclaimer: Same as ever guys, you know it - I own nothing except my own mistakes**

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_Finally, they made it close enough to the cave to be within Sara's hearing and Oliver called Sara's name. He was careful to moderate his tone so that she would know help was needed, but at the same time know there wasn't any imminent danger._

**_Mixed POV_ **

Roy and Sara came into view less than a minute after he had called out and Oliver was pleased to see that both of them were armed with one of the bamboo batons. He knew Sara would have the knife on her too, even if he couldn't see it.

"Roy." Sara said instantly, instructing him to help them without needing words.

Roy ran to Oliver and Diggle and putting one arm of each man around his shoulders he took their weight helping them the rest of the way to the cave. He was shocked at the state both men were in and knew straight away that Slade had got to them. He could feel his anger pulsing through him at what Slade had done, but worked as hard as he could at pushing it down, knowing that to let go right now would scare Thea and she was about to be scared enough once she saw her brother and Diggle.  _For Thea, keep hold for Thea._ Roy didn't ask any questions, knowing that they would tell him what they needed to when they were ready.

Roy had finally come to understand that you could not push Oliver for answers that he wasn't ready to give. Since having to keep his own secrets from Thea, and having been caught up with helping Slade before getting his head straight again, he was better able to understand the toll that guilt and secrets took on you. Roy knew that Oliver had far more secrets and guilt than he'd even know, so if his own took the kind of toll they did he couldn't begin to comprehend the toll that Oliver's must take.

As they got closer to the cave Lance and Walter rushed out too, ready to help. They were surprised to see that Roy seemed to be more than capable of helping both Oliver  _and_ Diggle on his own, even though he was the smallest of the three men. Lance looked to Sara, about to query this, but she spoke first.

"Not now Dad." The order was clear in her voice and neither Lance nor Walter questioned further.

Both the older men were appalled at the state that Oliver and Diggle were in and they were amazed that either had made it as far as they had in their respective conditions. The rest of the group came out from the cave as well, hearing the return that they had all been worried about, despite the attempts of the Team Arrow members to reassure the others. (Sara had ordered them all into the cave the minute she heard people approaching the cave, not prepared to take a chance just in case it hadn't been Oliver and Diggle, or they hadn't been alone.) There was a babble of comments and exclamations once the others saw the state that Oliver and Diggle were in, especially as they got close enough to the fire for the injuries to be fully seen.

"Oh my gosh, what the hell happened to you two?!" Thea was distraught at the sight of her brother, of them both and she felt sickened by what she could see.

"Oliver! John!" Felicity's voice was full of concern and fear for her friends.  _He got to them again how are they going to cope with this how bad are their injuries do we have enough medical supplies I'm going to run out of thread should have picked up a bigger sewing kit what are we going to do for dressings?_ Felicity took a few deep steadying breaths as Oliver had taught her, knowing that if she didn't manage to clamp down on her babbling thoughts she was going to say things she didn't want them to hear.  _Team Arrow might be used to my babbling, but the rest of them definitely aren't!_

"Are you guys okay?" Roy asked quietly. He didn't trust himself to say any more than that and was glad that his hands were full with half-carrying both men so that he couldn't start to lash out. He knew that sooner or later he was going to have to go hit something, hard, to take care of that rage without causing anyone harm.

"Ollie!" Laurel shrieked, scared. She was freaked out by what she could see, even in this poor light.  _What the hell has happened now?_

"Damn!" Lance said, not knowing how to continue.  _Is there no end to the amount of abuse Oliver can take and yet keep going? Or Diggle either, for that matter._

"Son, what happened?" Walter exclaimed, he couldn't believe that both men were still ambulatory with the amount of injuries they had, Oliver in particular.  _How on earth did they make it back here?_

"Oliver! Mr Diggle!" Moira was as distraught and scared as her daughter.

Neither Oliver not Diggle were paying attention enough to the speakers to bother to answer them individually and only registered abstractly who was speaking. Oliver was fed up with being inundated with questions yet again so simply gave a one word answer.

"Slade."

Sara could see that neither man had the energy to waste on answering questions and took charge. She had known straight away that it was Slade and had stayed silent as she knew from past experience there was nothing really to be said.

"Moira boil some water, Thea clear some space we need to be able to lay them both down. Laurel we need some strips of cloth, see what you can find. Felicity we're going to need that sewing kit again. Does anybody have any tweezers? Walter build the fire up a bit more, we're going to need what light we can get." Sara's orders where acted on immediately, they all wanted to do what they could to help and needed the reassurance of being able to  _do_ something, anything to help.

Lance was already helping Roy by holding onto Oliver while Roy laid Diggle down in the area Thea was clearing.  _Man, Oliver is heavy! How on earth did Roy manage to help both him_ and  _Diggle at the same time?_

"Here Sara." Laurel said, passing her sister a pair of tweezers, not completely sure she wanted to know what they were going to be used for.

"Thanks. Dad, I need you to sterilize these in the fire please." Sara had noted the bound wound on Oliver's arm and was assuming it was a bullet wound, going on her memories of events that Oliver had told her about.

Very soon everything was done as Sara had instructed. Felicity had made a start with cleaning up what injuries she could while the water was boiling for Sara to do a proper job. Once she had cleared away some of the blood Felicity recognized the pattern of injuries on both of them. She met Sara's eyes and the blonds nodded slightly to each other, each understanding what had happened and the mind games that Slade was playing.

_No wonder Oliver looks so far away,_ Felicity sighed. The second she had seen him she'd seen that his mask was right up again. She knew she was going to have her work cut out to get through to him again, but that would have to wait until they had dealt with all the injuries.

Roy passed a bottle of water to Oliver and Diggle, it was the last of the bottled water but he knew that they would be dehydrated by the blood loss and so it was important to give it to them. The rest of them could wait until more water had collected.

"Thanks man." Diggle said quietly. After having a few sips he passed the water back to Oliver and lay back down resting, glad to be able to catch his breath without having to  _do_ anything else for now. He knew that the Team would be watching out for them and he could see that even now Roy had gone back to standing guard.

"Thanks Roy." Oliver echoed sitting up "Felicity I'm fine, help Diggle."

"Fine? Ollie I love you but your definition of fine is seriously twisted!" Thea said despairing of her brother. At the same time though, she was relieved slightly.  _If he's still making out he's okay and trying to dismiss help then maybe it isn't quite as bad as it looks..?_

"So I keep being told Speedy." Oliver replied with a hint of a laugh. "Pass those tweezers Sara, I'll deal with this while you start stitching up Diggle." As he spoke he unwound the makeshift bandage from his arm revealing the bullet wound to them all.

Thea blanched visibly as did Laurel, while Lance and Walter both clearly paled, and Moira looked green and shocked. Even Felicity looked unimpressed at Oliver's intention to deal with the wound himself, despite the fact that he knew she'd seen him do it before on more than one occasion. Oliver couldn't see Roy's face as he was looking out of the cave keeping watch still.

"Oliver I can do that while Sara helps Digg." Felicity offered, consciously ignoring the looks of surprise from the non-Team members. Even though she was unsure of her ability to actually do it there was no way she was going to let him remove the bullet on his own without at least offering to help him.

"Thank you Felicity but you know I can do this easily enough. It's hardly the first time you've seen me remove a bullet." Oliver smiled softly as he spoke, reassuring her.

Sara handed over the tweezers before putting the tin with the boiled water between them and laying the scraps of fabric Laurel had torn off various items of clothing on one of the blankets. Sara was relieved that there had been a camping tin left inside one of the kit bags, it had certainly made it easier to boil the water.

Felicity put the sewing kit down too, having threaded two needles ready for them to use. She moved the others back out of the way, giving Sara and Oliver space to work and making sure that no-one was blocking what light the fire was giving off.

Sara set to work on Diggle as Oliver twisted to get as much light as he could onto his arm before starting to dig out the bullet, both ignoring the reactions from the non-Team members.

"Just how many times have you been shot?" Walter asked disbelievingly as he watched Oliver work. It was evident that Oliver knew exactly what he was doing and he had clearly done this no few times before.

"A lot, I've lost count of the exact number." Oliver said, before stopping and looking up as he heard the sound of gagging.

Thea was holding her hand over her mouth trying desperately not to be sick and Oliver was pleased to see Felicity had her arm round his sister and was looking after her. He was surprised to see that his Mom wasn't comforting Thea as well though; and he looked over to see his Mom looking sick and guilty and he realized what she'd just remembered.

"I shot you. I shot my own son." Moira spoke quietly and the disgust and guilt at what she had done was more than evident in her voice and whole facial and body language.

"What?!" Thea yelped, echoed by Laurel.

"No, you shot the Vigilante, Mom, you didn't know it was me – and I'm sorry I put you in that position, but I had to try to find out what you knew." Oliver answered going back to removing the bullet and avoiding meeting anyone's eyes.

"You lost a lot of blood that night." Lance commented, remembering the scene he'd attended.

"Yeah, it was a good thing Felicity hadn't left QC yet that night, she saved me." Oliver responded.

"Felicity saved you?" Thea repeated questioningly, before looking at the blond with an expression of even greater thanks on her face.  _Was there no limit to the amount of times Felicity has been there for my brother?_

Oliver didn't answer, struggling somewhat with the bullet that seemed to be stuck. He swore under his breath as he lost his grip on the bullet again. The tweezers were too small to be able to grasp the bullet properly and it was making it hard going, especially as the more he was struggling the more it was bleeding. Oliver stopped momentarily for another few sips of water, knowing that with the blood loss he needed to be careful to not get dehydrated.

"I found him bleeding out in the back seat of my car when I left QC, he was still dressed as the Arrow but quickly revealed his identity before insisting I drove him to Diggle at ..." Felicity's voice tailed off as she realized she had been about to reveal where the lair was. The others still didn't know that and she didn't want to give them that information without the agreement of the Team.

Diggle looked at Oliver who had set back to work on the bullet. Oliver paused and nodded briefly before rinsing the tweezers in the water and continuing again.

"Felicity brought Oliver to me in our lair ... at Verdant." Diggle expanded for Felicity.

"Verdant, the club,  _my_ club." Thea said and it was hard to tell if she was angry or annoyed, or what it was the teen was feeling. Thea wasn't sure that she knew herself if she was honest. "So that's why you guys kept appearing and disappearing there all the time!"

"To be fair it was still  _my_ club then Speedy." Oliver replied, amused at her reaction and glad it had taken the attention away from his Mom, at least for now.  _Feels like all we do lately is distract attention from one of them to another,_ he thought abstractly.

Oliver groaned as he finally got the bullet out, dropping it on the ground before grabbing the wet handkerchief Felicity was holding out. The wound was bleeding a lot more again now after all that and after cleaning the wound as best he could Oliver put pressure on it, hissing as he did so. After a minute or so he removed the handkerchief and proceeded to sew it up as fast as possible. Oliver asked Felicity to bind it tightly with a few of the strips of fabric so that there was still pressure on it to help stop the bleeding. He looked up to see both Thea and Laurel were dry-heaving. He quirked an eyebrow at Felicity questioningly.

"Oliver not everybody is used to the sight of you sewing yourself up." Felicity replied pointedly to his unspoken question.

Laurel opened her mouth to say something in response to that, but took one look at the warning glare Felicity was sending her way before closing her mouth again without saying a word.

"Why are some of your wounds the same?" Thea spoke instead of Laurel as she tried to distract herself from the somersaults her stomach was still turning.

_Damn, why's she gotta be as observant as her brother?!_ Diggle thought as Thea had asked the one question he had hoped they would be able to avoid. He sat up and thanked Sara quietly as she had finished now, before responding to Thea.

"Because Slade likes to play mind games Thea. He's trying to make Oliver feel guilty..." Before Diggle could finish Felicity interrupted him.

"Even though there is absolutely no way that Oliver is to blame for Slade's twisted actions. Oliver didn't choose what Slade has done to them anymore than he chose what scars he had in the first place. Slade is trying to distract and confuse us and like Diggle said he's trying to make Oliver blame himself for the fact that Diggle will now have some of the same scars, despite the fact that this was nothing to do with him – and anyone who can't see that is a fool." She finished angrily, the threat clear in her voice. There was no way she was going to permit anyone to say anything that would make Oliver feel any worse than he clearly already did.

"It's okay Felicity, Thea didn't mean anything by it." Oliver said with a slight smile at the look of fear on his sister's face at having accidentally crossed Felicity again. "She's right though, Slade did want us to have matching scars. It's his way of reminding me that I am the reason we are here, that Digg is hurt now too because of me. I'm the one Slade has a problem with Felicity, no matter how much you may wish that wasn't true it is. You've known for a long time that being around me is dangerous..." Oliver looked up addressing the rest of the group now. "...and now you can see how dangerous it is too. People who know who I am get hurt, that's why I lied for so long. I was trying to protect you all. I'm just sorry I failed." Oliver looked down as he finished, unwilling to see the accusing looks he was sure would be in their eyes now that they knew  _why_ Diggle had been hurt.

"Now you listen to me Oliver..." Lance spoke up, determined to make the young man see the truth. "...Felicity Smoak is right and you know it. You never asked to be tortured, you didn't ask for any of this or for your scars. You didn't choose any of what happened to you once that damned storm hit the Queen's Gambit. Yet despite that, despite the lies you had to live and crap you had to put up with, you spent the past two years putting your life on the line for the rest of this city and for all of us."

"You've rescued almost every person in this cave on more than one occasion regardless of the physical and emotional toll it's taken on you. I've seen how badly you've been injured even if I didn't know it was you at the time, I've seen the blood left behind, and yet you kept going, always. You never once stopped to think of yourself or put yourself first, you just continued to be the man our city needs irrespective of the damage it did to you, the man under the hood."

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**AN2: Please do let me know what you think of this, I really appreciate it! Thank you! :D**


	16. Believe

**Chapter 16 – Believe**

**AN: Rennie you are a star for such a super fast turnaround here - you have my very grateful thanks my dear!**

_**As always, thoughts, memories, & unspoken conversations are in italics.** _

**Disclaimer: CW owns Arrow. I own nothing except my mistakes.**

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_"You've rescued almost every person in this cave on more than one occasion regardless of the physical and emotional toll it's taken on you. I've seen how badly you've been injured even if I didn't know it was you at the time, I've seen the blood left behind, and yet you kept going, always. You never once stopped to think of yourself or put yourself first, you just continued to be the man our city needs irrespective of the damage it did to you, the man under the hood."_

**_Third Party POV_ **

Oliver locked eyes with Lance surprised by his words and support, the belief Lance was showing in him. He'd known that Lance was much more of a fan of the Arrow nowadays than he had been before the Undertaking, but still he had been taken aback by what the Detective had said. He could see the sincerity in Lance's face, hear it in his voice, and knew that Lance believed what he was saying.

Oliver broke eye contact and looked around at the others. Despite Lance's sentiments, he still expected to see disgust and fear in their faces now that they knew and could actually  _see_ just how dangerous it was to be around him. Yet when he looked around him, much to Oliver's confusion, there were no looks of disgust or fear of being around him. All he could see where nods of agreement, some more avid that others, but still it appeared that everybody agreed with Lance – somehow.

"I told you once before Oliver that you were not to blame for everything bad that happened in Starling City, well you're not to blame for everything bad that happens here either." Lance continued speaking in a quiet yet definite voice.

"This Slade guy is clearly sick and twisted and he has it in for you. I don't know why and I'm not asking you to tell us. That's in the past and whatever mind games he wants to play are not relevant. You have good people around you who are willing to support you. I've seen the lengths your Team  ** _is_** willing to go to – and whether you are willing to believe me or not,  _nobody_ gets that level of support unless they've earned it." Lance finished emphatically.

"He's right Oliver." Felicity affirmed and her sentiments were echoed by Diggle, Sara – and, much to Oliver's surprise, Roy.

"Why don't you hate me?" Oliver asked quietly but clearly; he didn't understand them.  _How can they say these things, still want to be around me, when they know what happens to those who do? This is **my**  fault, it's all down to me, why can't they see that?_

"You are here because of me, in danger because of me. Diggle is hurt and is going to be scarred because of me. Slade promised five years ago that he will do  _whatever_  it takes to completely destroy me before he finally kills me. So no matter what you say Detective I  _am_ to blame for this. I never wanted any of you to be caught up in this nightmare, to even set foot on this Island, but you are here now because of me. It is  _my_   _fault_." Oliver spoke just as vehemently as Lance had, his tone heavily laced with guilt and self-blame.

"No Oliver, it's not. It's my fault if anything. I brought Ivo here, not you." Sara answered her voice heavy with her own guilt.  _It's time they know the truth. I can't let, **won't** let Oliver blame himself for my mistakes._

"Ivo?" Lance queried, unsure what his daughter was talking about. She had never spoken about her time 'away' beyond telling him she had ended up a part of the League of Assassins and he had known better than to push her for answers.

"Sara." Oliver said warningly.

"No Oliver. It's time they know." Sara responded, ignoring the protest and tension in Oliver's voice and his entire body language. She chose instead to focus on Felicity, knowing that she and Diggle already knew much of the truth and that the blonde somehow didn't blame her either, for reasons that Sara could not understand. Sara knew that Oliver had borne the guilt of Shado's death for too long and it was time for them  _all_ to know the truth.  _Maybe then they will be able to convince Oliver that Shado's death wasn't his fault, that Slade's madness and consequential actions weren't Oliver's fault either._

Sara began to talk, eschewing all details and sticking to the bare facts wherever possible. She told them of how after the storm she had floated on a piece of wreckage for days before being 'rescued' by the freighter. Of how Professor Ivo had then rescued her from the crew of the Amazo, of how she had lived there, helping him with his 'research' for over a year before they had made it through the chain of islands to Lian Yu.

Sara spoke of how she'd thought Oliver was dead until he had been captured and she'd seen him in one of the cells on the Amazo. Of her fear of Ivo finding out that they knew each other and how Oliver had lied to protect her as she'd asked - without him even knowing why. She continued talking, not holding back on her own deceptions and betrayal, letting them know how he had trusted her and how she had tricked him into contacting Slade and Shado.

She kept talking, going all the way through to when Ivo had caught up with them after they had injected Slade with the Mirakuru, trying to save his life. She explained how they had thought Slade was dead from the Mirakuru, how Ivo and his men had captured them and had had her, Shado, and Oliver on their knees at gunpoint with their hands bound behind their backs. Sara told them how Ivo had insisted that Oliver choose – her or Shado.

"Oliver was forced to choose who lived and who died – the girlfriend he had gone on the boat with, or the one he had fallen for on the Island." Sara looked apologetically at Laurel as she referred to herself as Oliver's girlfriend; but that's what Ivo had known her as and she wasn't going to take away from the awfulness of Oliver's choice by denying that to make things easier for her sister.

"Except I couldn't make that choice." Oliver said, needing them to know how he hadn't even been able to do that for either of the women he had loved.

" _Nobody_ could make that choice Oliver." Walter said emphatically.

"Which is why he didn't." Sara continued. "Instead Oliver threw himself on the ground in front of us both and told Ivo to kill him instead. He offered his life up for ours." Sara paused for emphasis, needing them to know, to understand the sacrifice that Oliver had been willing to make, had  _tried_ to make.

"Only Ivo wasn't going to let Oliver do that. He said that if Oliver wouldn't choose then he would choose for him. Ivo pointed the gun at my head, was about to pull the trigger but Oliver threw himself between me and the gun. He tried to take the bullet for me." Sara let the emotion through into her voice as she spoke. She  _had_ to make them understand, if they were to get through to Oliver then they had to  _know_ that this was not his fault.

"Before we could move or do anything else though Ivo suddenly swung the gun the other way and shot Shado in the head." Much to her own surprise, a tear rolled down her own cheek as she recounted it for them.

"She died thinking that I chose Sara. That I loved Sara more than her. I loved Shado and I failed her." Oliver's voice broke as he finished speaking.

"Slade arrived almost immediately. He took out Ivo and dispatched the guards like it was nothing. I told him that Ivo had just suddenly done it, that we didn't know why. He should have been dead, _was dead_ we thought - but instead he was alive and he was  _so strong_ and it scared me. I knew from Ivo that the Mirakuru can warp minds but we had no idea just how much back then. Together we made our escape from Ivo while he was still out cold, taking Shado's body with us."

"Slade revealed that he'd loved Shado too but had kept quiet because she had chosen me. We grieved for her together and we buried her next to her Father." Oliver said, his grief and pain for her loss still evident in his voice. "This Hood that I wear, this bow that I use, they were hers and her Father's before that. I tried to give the Hood to Slade but he insisted she would have wanted me to wear it. I wear it to honor her."

"Slade continued to train me to fight and I continued practicing with the bow. It was harder without Shado, but it was for her that I did it. Slade was like a brother to me." Oliver paused, not knowing how to continue.

"We knew he was changing, we saw his rage and his strength, but didn't know what it meant." Sara picked up the story again. "We planned to take the freighter from Ivo, to escape Lian Yu like Shado would have wanted them to. But that's where things really went wrong. Everything was going to plan to start with, our distractions were working, all was going well until Slade caught up to Ivo. Ivo told Slade that Oliver had killed Shado, that it had been Oliver's choice. Ivo said that he'd pulled the trigger, but that Oliver had been the one pointing the gun. Slade went truly mad when he heard that." Sara took a breath before continuing.

"Slade went on a rampage. I escaped with the other prisoners and Oliver was right behind me. It was dark and chaotic, there were fires burning everywhere on the freighter. We jumped overboard swimming for the relative safety of the Island and it wasn't until we hit the beach that I realized Oliver wasn't still with us."

"Slade caught me as I went over the side of the freighter, pulled me back. After that things went downhill fast. He beat me and threw me in a cell. Slade had taken control of the freighter, the guards were scared of him and obeyed him. That's when Slade promised that I would not die until I had known true despair." Oliver finished.

There was silence in the cave for a few minutes as everyone tried to process what they'd heard. Even Felicity and Diggle hadn't heard the story in as much detail as that in one go, but had pieced together what they knew from the snippets they'd been told over time.

Oliver looked around still expecting to see disgust on their faces.  _There's no way they can they feel anything else but disgust now they know what I did. How I failed them – Sara, who I dragged into all this; Shado, the woman I loved; Slade, my brother – I failed them all and now because of that they are all here in this place of nightmares too. It's all my fault._

But instead of disgust he was met with looks of shock, compassion, and pity. Silent tears were rolling down the faces of Felicity, Thea, Laurel, and even his Mom; and there was a glint in Lance's eyes too. Oliver couldn't understand it, their reactions made no sense.

"So now you know. Now you know why you have all been caught up in this. It is all my fault. I failed them and I've failed you too.

"Now you listen to me Oliver!" Moira spoke up determinedly. There was no way she was going to let her son keep blaming himself. "This is  _not_ your fault – and it's not yours either Sara! Neither of you asked to be shipwrecked, that was not down to you. Everything you did after that you did to survive. This Ivo might have blamed you and told Slade it was your fault Oliver but that does  _not_ make it true. You weren't the one who decided that either of them had to die – and putting yourself between Sara and a bullet was incredibly brave. You did  _not_  fail anyone Oliver!"

" _Survive_  - that's what you told us is the most important thing on this Island and that's what you did. Neither of you knew what the Mirakuru was going to do, you were simply trying to save the life of a man who was like a brother to you and I am truly sorry you had to go through that Oliver." Moira spoke putting her heart into her words, she  _had_  to make her son believe in himself again.

"Mom's right Oliver. What came after that, you couldn't control okay big brother. You've been paying for this longer than any of us could have imagined and it's been more than long enough. It's time for you to accept that this stuff poisoned Slade's mind. The man you knew, your brother, he's gone Oliver." Thea spoke vehemently.

"They're right Ollie." Laurel spoke up, much to the surprise of all. "The Law wouldn't hold you accountable for this - and neither do we. You didn't know what that stuff was going to do, you thought it would save his life. From what you've told us there was no way that you could have predicted what would happen to Slade, no more than you could have predicted what Ivo would do." Laurel spoke quietly but her words held all the more power for that.

"I've spent more than enough time holding others accountable for things that weren't their fault instead of taking responsibility for my own actions, you reminded me of that remember Ollie?" Laurel paused, waiting for Oliver to respond before she would continue.

Oliver nodded once briefly, but Laurel knew that was all she was going to get and it was enough for her to know that he was listening to her words. "Well that's how I know that that was what Ivo was doing too, blaming others for his actions, making excuses and doing anything to get out of taking responsibility for those actions. He killed Shado, not you. In his own way Slade is doing the same thing. Instead of acknowledging his own failure to let Shado know how he felt, his imagined failure in not being there to save her when she died, he is blaming you and he has allowed his bitterness and the Mirakuru to twist him into this monster."

Felicity looked at Laurel in grateful surprise. She would never have expected Gorgeous Laurel to have said that, to have backed them up like this. For the first time she could see what (beyond her looks of course) had attracted Oliver to her so strongly. Under all that misplaced anger was a caring nature willing to stand up for what she believed was right and Felicity realized that nature must be what had drawn Laurel to work for CNRI in the first place.

"Your brother is gone Oliver, he died five years ago." Diggle said, hating to be blunt but needing Oliver to understand that the man who was now determined to destroy him was not the same one who had called Oliver brother. "It's time to stop listening to him, to Ivo, and to believe in yourself again.

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**AN2: Sooo... what do you think guys? Please let me know - comments & kudos feed the Muse tehehe :D Thank you!**


	17. Ninja Hearing

**Chapter 17 – Ninja Hearing**

**AN: Thank you so very much for all the comments & kudos! Rennie thanks as ever for all the help & beta work, means so much my friend!**

_**Memories, thoughts, & unspoken conversations are in italics.** _

**Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by the CW – if I owned anything then we'd have Olicity by now!**

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_"Your brother is gone Oliver, he died five years ago." Diggle said, hating to be blunt but needing Oliver to understand that the man who was now determined to destroy him was not the same one who had called Oliver brother. "It's time to stop listening to him, to Ivo, and to believe in yourself again._

**_Mixed POV_ **

After all the revelations everyone had left Oliver and Diggle alone with Felicity so that they could start to recover. Sara had stitched up the rest of Oliver's wounds as it was hard for even Oliver to stitch up his own torso and there was no point in him struggling when she was able to do it. Once she was done she went to stand watch with Roy leaving the original Team together. The three of them had a bond that went beyond anything she'd ever seen and right now Sara knew that all three of them needed that bond more than ever.

The Team sat in silence for a time, just enjoying being together, sharing the reassurances they all needed without ever needing to speak a word. The others were standing around in twos and threes and much as Oliver didn't want to, he could hear every word they were saying – although they didn't know that of course. Oliver had expected they would turn away from him, be disgusted – and yet, they weren't.  _Is Lance right, are my Mom and Laurel right? Was there really no better choice I could have mad?_

Felicity, being careful to speak softly so that the others wouldn't overhear, told Oliver that while they'd been gone she'd discovered that he needed to have a quiet word with Thea. He nodded, agreeing quietly and planning to speak to her in the morning when he was less tired. Right now he was just drained, yet somehow – even if though he didn't completely believe them yet – he had more hope than he had done before all the revelations; he just needed to rest if possible before talking with Thea. Oliver didn't need to ask Felicity why he had to talk to Thea, he knew exactly what it would be about and had been expecting this ever since his decision that morning.

Unable to sit any further despite his tiredness, Oliver slowly got to his feet and went outside. He nodded to Sara and Roy, knowing they would understand he just needed a little space. He went off far enough that he could breathe, could catch his breath again, but made sure he was still within sight and hearing of Sara just in case.

A few minutes later he heard Thea coming. She was trying to be quiet and he knew she was trying not to intrude until she got closer; and she was probably taking the time to figure out what to say as well Oliver realized. But as yet she still had no idea just how good his hearing was, for a few more minutes at least. After a couple of minutes of Thea not speaking or approaching any closer, Oliver spoke instead.

"Felicity said you might need to talk to me?" Oliver knew exactly what this was about but equally he knew it was important for Thea to find her own words, her own questions. She needed to be the one to start this the right way for her.

Thea came to face Oliver and nodded hesitating, unsure how, where, to start this conversation, especially after everything that Sara and Oliver had just revealed. But she could see that Oliver had no desire to talk about  _that_  any further so she went back to her original plan of asking him about what she'd overheard that morning. There were so many things she wanted and needed to say, but she still couldn't figure out how to start, any vague plans she'd had had disappeared on hearing Sara and Oliver talking about Slade – the man Oliver had called brother, the man who was now trying to destroy him. In the end Thea just blurted out the first thing she could.

"So, you saved Slade's life?"

"You heard all of that this morning and  _that's_ the question you want to lead with?!" Oliver raised an eyebrow quizzically not sure whether to be amused or bemused by his sister's start.

"No, but it was the only one I could figure out how to ask." Thea replied honestly as Oliver nodded his understanding. "How do you know how much I heard anyway?" She asked curiously.  _How does Oliver even know what I'm going on about yet anyway?_

"I knew you were there Speedy, I could hear you coming. I knew you were standing right there before I decided to say all of that and I knew you would hear it. Just like I know you barely made it back to the cave before you started to cry."

"But … how could you... there's no way you could have known that … how?" Thea managed to get out, confused by her brother's knowledge.  _Roy hasn't had a chance to speak to him without all of us there and Felicity doesn't know I cried so how could Oliver …? Felicity said he'd know I heard though ... but how could she know that either?_

"Five years Thea, I spent five years away from you all where I literally lived or died by my senses, my awareness of the world around me and all of my surroundings." Oliver reminded her, being careful not to say that he'd spent all of that time on the Island itself.

"You saw a tiny bit of that with Sara when she heard the click of that landmine remember. Think about it, did you hear it click?" Oliver asked.

Thea thought back before realizing she had heard it, but so barely that she wouldn't have paid it any attention if she hadn't been forced to. "Yes, but only just barely and I didn't think anything of it. If Sara hadn't reacted the way she did I probably wouldn't have even registered it though if I'm really honest."

"Exactly. You were the closest to it but even you barely noticed it. There was a lot of background noise from all of us walking, people were talking, the birds were being noisy as we disturbed them, and Sara wasn't even immediately next to you was she?!" Oliver pointed out.

Thea nodded as she followed her brother's thinking and she realized he was right. Sara had been near, but not  _that_ near -  _and yet she'd heard it even though I scarcely even noticed it myself_.

"Yet Sara not only heard it but moved fast enough to save you." Oliver continued. "That's just a small example of how good her hearing is,  _our_  hearing is – and that's how I not only knew you were there this morning, but knew that you were crying at the cave. I heard you Thea. I knew you were here just now just like I knew you were right there behind us this morning when I was talking to Felicity and Diggle. I heard you coming and I heard you stop when you first overheard me, I heard your gasp Thea when you realized what I was talking about."

"Then why … ?" Thea hesitated unsure how to finish her question without it coming out wrong.

"Did I continue? Because you needed to know all that stuff. Thea, I told you two years ago that I needed to get better at talking about what happened to me. I'm still no good at it, but that doesn't mean I don't want to talk about it now. I don't like talking about it and I probably never will but that's not important. What is important is that I keep you safe, keep all of you safe. To do that you need to know more about what happened so that you can understand the dangers."

"So we all need to know that you were first tortured in that camp, that you were kept in a cage? That you've taken so many beatings there you can't even remember them all?" Thea queried, struggling to keep back the tears as she recalled his words, not fully believing her brother's reasoning and needing his verification of what he was saying.

"No. But  _you_  do Thea. You're my sister and I should have told you more of this a long time ago, no matter how painful it was for me. You needed to understand me, the brother who came back, and I could have made that easier by telling you then. But I wasn't ready. I'm not sure if I ever will be ready – but I'm ready to try, and that's why I continued speaking this morning. So that  _you_ would know. I only have one sister Thea – and I don't want to hide from you anymore." Oliver hoped that Thea would understand just how much of a big deal this was for him to share these things with her.

"These cuts that Slade just gave Diggle and me, they are the same as the ones I got when I refused to give up Yao Fei. Not quite as deep this time, but in the same places. The originals were given to me by Billy Wintergreen. He was Slade's partner and he was the Godfather to Slade's son Joe - and yet he betrayed Slade for money. Slade is convinced that everyone in this life is out for themselves, he said that even before the Mirakuru Speedy and he wants to convince me of it too. That's why he gave Digg some of the same scars, he wanted to make Digg betray me to stop the pain." Oliver explained further.

"Which is never going to happen." Diggle spoke from behind Oliver and Thea, making Thea jump even as she noticed that Oliver hadn't even reacted at all.  _He really has got ninja hearing._ Thea turned around and saw that Diggle wasn't alone.

"Because Slade doesn't understand that we are a Team and that together Team Arrow is so much more than any of us alone." Felicity finished.

Thea saw the look on all of their faces as Felicity spoke and she realized that the blond IT girl was right. It was clear that these three were a Team, but that they were also so much more than that.  _They're a family of their own choosing, tighter than any I have ever seen._ As Thea thought that she suddenly understood that Felicity  _was_ right, it was that Team bond – that family bond – that was what made them so much stronger.

It was clear that Slade didn't understand that as he had thought that torturing Diggle and Oliver, giving them the same scars, was going to drive them apart. Instead of creating blame though as Slade had expected, and Oliver had too it seemed, all that Slade had done was to strengthen that bond between the two men, between the whole Team. For the first time since they had been captured Thea felt more than just a flicker of hope. If this Team was this strong then maybe they really could win,  _maybe they really can defeat Slade_.

"But it's not just us now Speedy, it's all of you too. Slade doesn't believe that we can work together, that you will work with me now you know the truth. He believes I'm alone, that no-one will stand by me and fight with me." Oliver went on to explain.

He looked at Felicity knowing what he needed to say next, what he needed to ask his sister, but still unable to find the words and to take the risk of actually asking. To make himself that vulnerable to rejection was still so hard for him and he was still finding it hard to accept that they didn't seem to blame him for everything now that they knew more of the truth. To risk going further, to not just stand by him but to ask them to actually  _fight_  with him too, Oliver simply wasn't sure he could take that risk.

"Is Slade right Thea? Is Team Arrow alone, or will you fight with us?" Felicity asked the question that Oliver couldn't, willing as ever to take the risk for him.

Thea paused, nodding as she thought. She knew her answer straight away, but she needed Oliver to know that this wasn't just a gut reaction answer but was truly a thought out answer. If she was honest she'd been thinking about this ever since the Team had rescued her from the landmine, maybe even before then. But Oliver didn't know that and he  _had_ to understand that she was certain of her words.

"I'm with you. I want to fight too Oliver. Show me how." Thea answered, the strength of her conviction clear in her words for all to hear as she spoke.

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**AN2: You guys know the deal, I really** _**do** _ **love knowing what you think so I should be very grateful if you would please comment and/or leave kudos. Thank you so much! :D**


	18. Apology

**Chapter 18 - Apology**

**AN:** **Thank you so much to everyone who has left kudos &/or comments on this fic, I really do appreciate it! Rennie – no matter how many times I say it it's still true, you are the best beta & friend ever!**

_**Memories, thoughts, & unspoken conversations are in italics.** _

**Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by the CW – if I owned anything then we'd have Olicity by now!**

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_Thea paused, nodding as she thought. She knew her answer straight away, but she needed Oliver to know that this wasn't just a gut reaction answer but was truly a thought out answer. If she was honest she'd been thinking about this ever since the Team had rescued her from the landmine, maybe even before then. But Oliver didn't know that and he had to understand that she was certain of her words._

_"I'm with you. I want to fight too Oliver. Show me how." Thea answered, the strength of her conviction clear in her words for all to hear as she spoke._

**_Oliver's POV_ **

Oliver was more relieved than he had expected when he heard Thea's answer and the certainty in her voice as she spoke. He saw the hints of tension disappear from both Diggle and Felicity at her answer too and realized that they had been worried about how she would respond. Oliver nodded once to Thea before answering her.

"Thank you." Oliver's voice was full of heartfelt thanks and he allowed his relief to show as well. "You remember doing archery at school?"

**_Thea's POV_ **

"Yes." Thea answered cautiously. She had always enjoyed archery, even been good at it – but that was just at school,  _it wasn't serious or anything!_

"Tomorrow you will learn properly. Get some rest now, you'll need it." Oliver finished with a glint in his eye that let Thea know her brother had no intention whatsoever of going easy on her – not that she had ever expected him to. After discovering how tough Sara had been with them today however, Oliver's words had her somewhat concerned.  _This is so not going to be easy!_

"Goodnight Oliver." Thea said getting the message that he wasn't up to talking with her anymore for tonight and knowing that she couldn't take any more for now either. Thea walked back to the cave, to Roy who was still on guard with Sara. Sara took one look at Thea and walked off a little way to give them at least the pretense of privacy, even though Thea now knew that Sara would still hear everything –  _she probably heard every word we just said anyway._

"Thank you." Sara said almost as a whisper as she went past Thea, confirming Thea's suspicions that Sara had heard everything.

Thea gave a hint of a smile in return, acknowledging Sara's thanks, before going straight to Roy's arms. She spent a few minutes like that, just being held by him as she cried silently for her brother, for everything he had been through, for his pain and loss both in the past and today too. For the fears she now knew he had, the uncertainties, and the dangers of the world that he lived in. Roy held her saying nothing, supporting her with his silence and letting it show her that he would always be there for her, that she was not alone. Sometimes words really were not needed and Thea understood that now more than she ever had before.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**_Moira's POV_ **

Moira saw her daughter come back from talking to Oliver, saw her go straight to Roy's arms and stay there shaking the slightest bit. She knew her daughter well enough to know that, hide it as she may, Thea was crying and it wasn't hard to figure out why.

_Was it really only this morning that I asked Oliver to talk when he returned from the camp? No wonder Oliver was so changed in those five years, a single day here is harder and takes more toll on you than a month at home ever could – and that's without all the things that he went through._  Moira wanted to cry her eyes out for her son - and despite everything that he and Sara had revealed this evening she knew that there was still oh so much more that they had not said.

Moira still could not forgive herself for everything that she had put her own son through, put both of them through. No matter what Oliver said she knew that it  _was_ her fault. If she and Robert hadn't been caught up in the Undertaking the Queen's Gambit would never have been sabotaged and all the rest would never have happened. While Moira was unbelievably proud of the man Oliver had become, the price he had paid for it was far, far too high and that was all on her now that Robert was gone.

Worse than that, she had then compounded it all by inviting Slade Wilson into their home. The man who had once been Oliver's brother, but who now wanted to utterly destroy him before killing him. Who had tortured him – with a  _generator_  – and goodness knows what else in the past, who had tortured Oliver and Diggle again today. The man who had kidnapped Thea, who had kidnapped them all, marooning them here in this place of Oliver's nightmares.  _Is there no end to the damage I have done to my children, to Oliver?_   Moira wondered in despair at her own actions.

"Mrs Queen."

Moira looked up at her name, surprised to see Felicity standing in front of her. She had never even noticed that she and Diggle had left Oliver's side and returned to the cave.

"Please, surely here you can call me Moira?" She asked, sick of the formalities and pretenses that had only served to erect barriers between them all.

Felicity nodded her agreement much to Moira's relief. "Oliver would like to talk to you if you still want to, I said I'd let you know."

Moira was struck anew by how much Felicity clearly cared for her son. Even after the way she had treated Felicity she had still offered to come and get her so that Oliver didn't have to come back to the cave and so Diggle could rest. She suddenly perceived what her son had clearly seen all along. Felicity was an incredibly special person who stood up for those she cared for and for what was right no matter the risk to herself.

Moira was beginning to see that Felicity was the bond holding Oliver's Team together.  _And I treated her like she was nothing, I threatened her._ She was appalled by her own behavior towards this woman who had saved her son's life in more ways than one. Felicity was about to walk away and Moira put her hand very gently on Felicity's arm asking her to stop.

"Felicity…" Moira hesitated, finding it hard to say this but knowing that she had to. She had wronged Felicity more that she'd known and it was time to at least attempt to put that right. "…I owe you an apology…"

"No, you don't." Felicity interrupted her, but Moira refused to be let off that easily. She wasn't about to back down from this no matter how hard it was for her to admit.

"Yes. I really do. I threatened you and wronged you when all you were doing was trying to protect my family – which is what I should have been doing myself. No, let me say this…" Moira said as she could see Felicity opening her mouth to try to stop her again. "You have saved my son, my husband, my daughter, and apparently half of the Glades, as well as many others I'm sure. You brought Oliver back to me when he was still stuck on the Island, stuck here. You made him more whole than I thought he could even be again when he first returned."

"You are truly an impressive woman and it is clear to me now that you mean more to Oliver than I could ever have imagined. If I hadn't been so caught up in everything else and had paid more attention to what was right in front of me then I would have seen that. I have no right to ask for your forgiveness for what I said and did to you and I will not ask for it, but I am apologizing to you Felicity. I am truly sorry." Moira finished with a deep breath, trying to steady herself and only partially succeeding.

**_Felicity's POV_ **

Felicity was taken aback at Moira's words. She had truly  _never_  expected to hear this titan of a woman admit she was wrong, much less actually apologize. She was Oliver's mother after all and it was hardly as if he was good at admitting when he'd got things wrong either. Felicity appreciated the effort that had gone into Moira's words, they were far more than a simple 'I'm sorry' and she respected Moira for having done that, she knew it couldn't have been easy for her.  _Even if the woman has still made some truly horrible decisions._ Moira hadn't asked for forgiveness which Felicity was relieved by as she wasn't inclined to grant it yet either, but she decided that she would accept the apology for now at least.

"Accepted, thank you Moira." Felicity spoke in a neutral tone being careful to keep her voice quiet as Moira's had been. She agreed that there was no need for everyone to hear their conversation. Sara would have heard it of course – and glancing briefly at Oliver she could see that he had heard it too. That was enough for her. Moira nodded her thanks before heading outside to speak with Oliver.

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**AN2: Thanks for sticking with me everyone :) Please let me know what you think, you all know how much comments & kudos feed the Muse hehe :D**


	19. Robert

**Chapter 19 – Robert**

**AN: Forgive me a slight play around with canon on this one, but it was necessary for the fic. Thank you so much for all your comments & kudos! Rennie your help is utterly invaluable my friend, thank you so much for being the best beta ever!**

**Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by the CW – if I owned anything then we'd have Olicity by now!**

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" _Accepted, thank you Moira." Felicity spoke in a neutral tone being careful to keep her voice quiet as Moira's had been. She agreed that there was no need for everyone to hear their conversation. Sara would have heard it of course – and glancing briefly at Oliver she could see that he had heard it too. That was enough for her. Moira nodded her thanks before heading outside to speak with Oliver._

**_Mixed POV_ **

"What was that all about Mom?" Oliver asked being careful to moderate his tone. He had heard every word but had no intention of letting her know that. He had told Thea about his senses but did not want to let the rest of the group know about them too yet. Oliver also needed to see if he could trust his Mom, needed proof of that and finding out if she was going to tell him the truth now would help with that.

Diggle had told him about the way that she had backed him up while Oliver was having the nightmare and that counted for a lot. It also meant a lot that his Mom had actually finally apologized to Felicity, the way she had treated her had truly upset and annoyed him. However, Oliver was all too aware of the blind spot he'd had previously when it came to his family – and he had no intention of making that mistake again.

"I … said some things to Felicity previously that I shouldn't have. Nasty things and I was wrong to do so. I told myself that I was protecting my family by keeping these secrets but the truth is that I just didn't want anybody to know. It was time for me to apologize to Felicity and that's what that was about." Moira answered with a deep sigh.

She had made so many mistakes in her life especially when it came to her children and it was painful for her to admit just how much damage she had done. Despite that, Moira knew that she had to change going forward and part of that change was to own up to her errors and apologize to those she had wronged. She also knew that if Oliver was ever going to even slightly trust her again she had to prove herself worthy of that trust. It was painfully apparent now that Oliver was closer to Felicity and Diggle than he was to anyone else, they were his real family it seemed – and she had threatened the woman who clearly had Oliver's heart, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself. Moira could see now that she had hugely underestimated the blonde, she was so much more than just an 'IT girl' and apparently she even owed Felicity for saving her son's life.

"Oliver, we need to talk, I need to talk. I have made so many mistakes, caused so much damage to our family – to you. I even shot you! I need to explain, but I need to understand too – if you're willing to talk?" Moira hesitated unsure how to continue. She wasn't even sure that they should be talking like this now when Oliver was badly hurt and clearly exhausted.

"I know Mom. You must have a lot of questions and I will answer what I can but I'm not going to tell you everything. There are some things I'm just not ready to talk about." Oliver was willing to try but she had to respect the boundaries he was setting first.

Moira nodded in response, still unsure of what to say and while she was thinking Oliver started to speak again.

"You know now that I'm the Arrow but I still have a lot of secrets too and I will tell you what I think you need to know but in order for me to do that, you must respect that some secrets simply aren't mine to tell." Oliver spoke bluntly needing her to know how serious he was. If she pushed then he was simply going to back away. Moira nodded again and so he continued.

"Do you remember me showing you that notebook with the list of names in it and asking about it?" Oliver asked, for him that was where it had all begun, with that damn List so it made sense that that was the place to start talking as well.

"Yes." Moira looked down when she answered, ashamed of the lie that she'd told him at the time.

"I knew what it was when I asked you. I'd known about the List for a little over 5 years at that point." Oliver said knowing that revealing that knowledge would provoke a response.

"What? How?" Moira was truly shocked. "How could you have known about it?"

"Dad told me."

"On the Gambit?" Moira queried having worked out a rough idea of when Oliver must have found out from the timescale he'd given. She was completely bemused as to how or why Robert would have told him though. _Robert knew just how dangerous that list was so why would he have brought Oliver into all that?_

"No." Oliver took a breath. He knew that what he was about to reveal would cause her no small amount of pain, but it was time she knew the truth. "After it went down."

"But you said your Father went down with the boat?"

"I lied. Back then, there was no need for you to know the truth. I didn't know that you were involved with the List and I didn't want to hurt you, to drag you into all of that. There was no need for you to know what really happened."

Hard though she found it to do so, Moira stayed quiet as Oliver spoke. She could see how tough this was on Oliver and understood that she had to let him tell this in his own way. After everything she'd done that was the least she could do for him. It didn't stop all the thoughts going round in her head though.  _Robert survived? Why didn't he tell me? How on earth could that not have been something he'd want me to know about?_

"Dad pulled me out of the water into the life-raft. There was another crew member in the raft too. We couldn't find Sara or anyone else and I thought that they'd all died. We drifted for days, there wasn't enough water and Dad knew that there was no way for us all to survive." Oliver took a couple of calming breaths, it had been hard enough to tell Diggle about this, but to have to tell his Mom that her husband had killed another man before committing suicide was something else. He met his Mom's eyes and locked onto them, needing to know how she would respond to this, what she was thinking. They were far enough away from the cave that Sara would be the only one who could hear them and she already knew what had happened anyway.

"Dad apologized to me, he said he'd thought he'd have more time. I didn't know what he was going on about and just told him to rest but he didn't listen. He told me that he wasn't the man I thought he was. That our family didn't build our city – we destroyed it. He begged me to right his wrongs. He told the crewman that if anybody was going to make it out of there then it was going to be his son, me - and then he took out a gun and shot the crewman before shooting himself." Oliver could see the effect this was having on his Mom, had known what a shock it would be and that's why he hadn't wanted to tell her. But he understood now that she had a right to know, maybe she'd had that right all along, he wasn't sure. But her husband was buried here and she should know that.

Moira was shaking, tears running silently down her face and she struggled to breathe. _Robert killed a man before shooting himself. He committed suicide. Oliver watched his Dad kill somebody and then kill himself. How could Robert do that? Why? Oliver had to see_ that _!_ The thoughts were going round and round her brain on overdrive and she felt like she was going to collapse. This was too much for her after everything else that they had seen and learnt that day.

Oliver could see the trouble she was having and understood what she was thinking. He knew he had to help her. "He did it to save my life. Dad was right, there wasn't enough water for all of us. There was no way that even two of us would have made it on what we had. I barely survived as it was. He gave his life to save mine Mom." Oliver put his hand on her arm gently trying to give her an anchor point as Felicity so often did for him.

Oliver raised his voice slightly knowing that his sister wasn't far off. She wouldn't have been able to hear them speaking initially and had simply been standing there waiting in case he wanted her. She knew now that he would have been aware of her presence and he was grateful to her for her thoughtfulness. However, Thea had come closer when he had first raised his voice very slightly, intending for it to carry to her, so she would have heard him say that their Dad gave his life to save Oliver's.

"Thea…" His Mom looked up suddenly as he spoke Thea's name as Oliver had known she would. He turned around to meet his sister's eyes as he continued. "…you told me that you buried an empty coffin, well I buried his body. Dad's real grave is here, on the Island."

His Mom gasped and Thea took a step back involuntarily, covering her mouth with her hands in shock as she and their Mom both started to cry. Oliver just stood there giving them the time they needed, he knew this was a big thing for them to accept and adjust to – especially for his Mom as Thea hadn’t heard _how_ their Dad had died, only that he had done so to save him.

Thea took some deep breaths, trying desperately to clamp down on her feelings long enough to ask the one thing she needed to know. “Where? We need to see. Will you take us to Dad’s grave Oliver?”

Oliver had known that was coming, from the minute they had been taken back to the Island he had acknowledged that Thea and his Mom would both need to know that he was buried here – and that they would want to go to his grave. Oliver nodded slowly.

“Yes, but we will have to go as a group - Shado is buried there too, next to Dad, so Slade may be there or could have left another trap. I will take you, but first you need to train Thea, you too Mom.” Oliver finished speaking in a serious tone as he needed them to understand just how risky this could be.

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**AN2: I know I keep saying it, but comments & kudos really do mean the world to me so please be nice & let me know what you think? Thank you! :D**


	20. Lessons Learned

**Chapter 20 – Lessons Learned**

**AN: Regardless of how many times I've said this I need you all to know how grateful I am to every single one of you who has commented and/or left kudos! Thank you!**

**Rennie thanks for yet another fast turnaround & for the loan below that you know about already! It was too perfect not to borrow :D Best beta ever!**

**Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by the CW – if I owned anything then we'd have Olicity by now!**

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" _Yes, but we will have to go as a group - Shado is buried there too, next to Dad so Slade may be there or could have left another trap. I will take you, but first you need to train Thea, you too Mom." Oliver finished speaking in a serious tone as he needed them to understand just how risky this could be._

**_Mixed POV_ **

After that Thea and Moira had returned to the cave together, leaving Oliver alone with his thoughts for a little while longer. Oliver had watched their return and once they had gone inside he caught Sara's face briefly.

"You okay?" Sara quietly asked, low enough that nobody else would be able to hear her.

Oliver was grateful for the way that they could both communicate without needing to be loud enough for others to overhear. It was an added bonus that he had never anticipated to their heightened senses and he replied in just as low a voice.

"Fine." He was thankful that no further explanations were needed with Sara, she never needed lengthy explanations or pushed for more from him. He knew that was because she hated giving them herself and found it harder to talk than even he did, but still he was grateful for it right now.

Oliver spent a few more minutes staring into the dark regaining his composure and internal balance and making initial plans for the next day that he would later discuss with his Team, before he finally returned to the cave.

"Get some rest Sara, I'll take the watch. Roy, will you take the next one with Diggle? He can teach you what you need to look for at the same time as you watch his back." Oliver looked to Diggle for his agreement to that and waited for his nod. Oliver was glad to see that Diggle approved of his plan and knew he understood that Oliver had been worried about Diggle's physical condition, but hadn't wanted to trust Roy to keep watch on his own without further training either.

"Sure." Roy answered quietly.

Oliver was pleased to see that Roy looked to Diggle for his agreement as well. It seemed that the young man was making more of an effort to keep control with Thea right here with him all the time. He just hoped that this would transfer over into Roy's training as well as that was when Roy was most prone to getting frustrated.

"Okay. I'll take the last watch then." Sara confirmed before going to lie down.

Oliver noticed that Sara had joined the rest of the wider Team who were all bedding down between the watch area and the rest of the group. It seemed that they were repeating the physical boundary they had created the previous night and emphasizing the fact that, regardless of everything that had happened and been revealed that day, Team Arrow still had his back. Oliver realized how blessed he was to be surrounded by them, to have such loyal and supportive friends. He knew he didn't deserve them but Oliver knew that he would be sure to value them while he could. 

Much to the Team's relief, that night everybody settled down without any further arguments or problems, all exhausted by the emotions and revelations of the day. Diggle was concerned again about Oliver's nightmares – and his own for that matter. He knew he'd had problems with them initially when he came back from Afghanistan but they had only lasted for a few months then. Over time since then he had had a few more of course - but they were usually when he was back home safe and not while he was in the field, he just hoped that continued to be the case. They would have enough to deal with Oliver's nightmares and whatever else Slade had in store, without his own adding to the mix.

Oliver did have a nightmare again, near the end of Diggle and Roy's watch but this time the others stayed well back, allowing Diggle and Felicity to bring him back to the present without any real arguments. Sara had immediately covered the watch, allowing Roy to go to Thea and provide the comfort she needed, while at the same time making sure he was within reach of Laurel. Laurel still seemed to be struggling to keep back and Sara knew that her sister was finding it hard to not be able to help Oliver or touch him during this time, especially as Oliver’s screams and groans were getting worse.

Sara suspected that, regardless of Moira's account, Laurel still didn't fully believe how dangerous it could be to touch Oliver (or her for that matter) during a nightmare. Sara resolved to talk to Oliver about that in the morning and had a plan for how to safely deal with that and prevent it being an issue again. He wasn't going to like her idea she suspected, so Sara decided she would talk to Felicity first and gain her support. Sara knew that if Felicity agreed to it then Oliver would be left with very little choice. While she didn't want to push him into anything, Sara knew that it would cause far more problems and guilt if one of them was hurt by either Oliver or herself.

It was harder to bring Oliver round this time that it had been the previous night, he seemed to have gone deeper into the nightmare and Felicity suspected this was because of his physical wounds. She was working on the assumption that in Oliver’s nightmare he would be back with Billy Wintergreen - and so having wounds that were so similar to the ones that Billy had given him would be making Oliver’s nightmare all the more real. She and Diggle persisted though and, eventually, he came back to them.

As soon as Oliver woke up fully enough to realize what had happened, again, he immediately sought out Felicity's eyes, needing the reassurance of her presence. She put her hand on his arm giving him the physical contact that he needed to anchor himself back to reality. Oliver could see the tiniest glint of a tear on her cheek and knew that it must have been bad this time to have affected her like this as Felicity had become too used to his nightmares to be affected easily anymore.

Oliver looked to Diggle, trusting the older man to tell him the truth about the severity of the nightmare. Oliver didn't say anything as he knew that words were not needed, the Team’s mind reading link was too strong to require words for something like this.

Diggle nodded slightly, confirming that it had been as bad as Oliver had suspected. "Fyers?" Diggle queried in a low voice.

"Yes. Fyers and Billy Wintergreen." Oliver said, confirming Felicity's suspicions.

She could see that he was trying to pull himself together enough to explain to the others, even though it was evident that the _last_ thing Oliver needed right now was to have to explain anything. Felicity met Oliver's eyes again, silently reminding him of her words, her promise that his past was his own. She saw the relief in his eyes, the slight lessening of tension throughout his body as he remembered and understood – she would protect him.

"Goodnight." After saying that, Oliver lay back down on his good side, facing towards the entrance and away from the others. He knew that Felicity would ensure he didn't need to say anything, explain anything else right now and again he blessed the day that Walter had given him her name. Oliver knew that Walter felt he needed to thank him for rescuing him from Merlyn's clutches, but the truth was it was Oliver who owed Walter.

Without Felicity Oliver knew that he would not still be alive, she was the one who kept him fighting, who brought him back to himself and to his Team. She was the one who made them a true Team, she was their conscience and their light. Oliver knew that Felicity was as much an anchor for Digg at times as she was for him, especially after the Suicide Squad mission with ARGUS. Felicity was the reason he fought to become better. He had given up killing for Tommy, to honor Tommy's memory; but Felicity was the one who had shown him there was another way instead – even if he had still killed the Count for her, to save her life there really was no choice to be made.

Felicity lay down closest to Oliver but careful as always to keep that safe distance away in case of further nightmares. She specifically lay with her back to him though so that she was facing the others – looking at them hard, almost glaring, as she silently dared them to say anything else. Wisely though, and despite a few looks, none of them did risk saying anything and it seemed that the lesson of 'Never get between Oliver and Felicity' had finally been learned.

Diggle smiled at the look on Felicity's face, knowing full well what she was doing and he turned away in case she took exception to his grin, he knew better than to risk her ire when she was in this mood. Instead, he caught Roy's eye only to find him doing the same thing as Diggle and they both had to smother a chuckle at their feisty IT girl. Diggle knew that Roy would be remembering when he first learnt not to come between the pair. Team Arrow might not have an official list of rules or lessons, but they definitely had them regardless and not getting between Felicity and Oliver was the biggest one of the lot.

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**AN2: Okay so I 'borrowed' the lesson of 'never get between Oliver and Felicity' from my wonderful beta Rennie75's fic of Lessons Learned, please do check it out if you haven't already, it's amazing! http://archiveofourown.org/works/1214173Rennie thank you very much for letting me borrow this!**

**Pretty please comment- I simply love to know what you all think & the Muse needs feeding lol, thank you!**


	21. Plans

**Chapter 21 – Plans**

**AN: Biggest thanks as every go to the wonderful Rennie75 for being such an amazing beta! Thanks also go to the wonderfully kind Denise who was sweet enough to check I'm ok as I'd gone quiet for a while!!! Thank you Denise!**

**FYI I may be a bit slower for a while, pregnancy is taking it's toll & I've just had to spend a few days in hospital because of it so need to take things very easy, trust you'll all understand and put up with the delays as my computer isn't even going on most days now. Thanks all!**

_**Thoughts, memories, & unspoken conversations are in italics.** _

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Arrow, The CW do, sigh!**

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_Diggle knew that Roy would be remembering when he first learnt not to come between the pair. Team Arrow might not have an official list of rules or lessons, but they definitely had them regardless and not getting between Felicity and Oliver was the biggest one of the lot._

**_Mixed POV_ **

Felicity woke first in the morning again to find Sara still on watch and the rest of the Team was still asleep. She was surprised that Oliver was asleep to be honest, but glad he was finally getting some of the rest that he so clearly needed but rarely allowed himself. It seemed that while they were both asleep they had moved closer to each other and before she sat up Felicity had noticed that their fingers just touching at the tips, drawing comfort from each other while they slept.  _Maybe that's why he's still asleep?_ Felicity wondered.

"Felicity." Sara spoke her name very quietly, hoping to not wake anyone else as she wanted to have a word with her without anyone else listening in. Sara could see from Oliver's breathing and pulse rate that he was genuinely still asleep.

Felicity looked up at her name and saw Sara indicating the space next to her near the entrance to the cave. The morning air was cold still as it was very early and she could see Sara was cold, even if she would never admit to it. She got up and, taking her blanket with her, went and sat next to Sara wrapping the blanket around them both. She knew that Sara would never have asked for a share in the blanket, would probably never have even admitted to being cold either. However, there was enough blanket for them both to share when they were sitting together. Felicity wanted to make sure that Sara was looked after; even if Sara wouldn't choose to look after herself any more than Oliver did.

"Thank you." Sara said gratefully, being careful to keep her voice low still and Felicity understood that whatever it was that she wanted to say to her, Sara wanted to do it without waking the others. They sat in silence for a minute or two before Felicity spoke, understanding that Sara was no better at bringing up difficult things than Oliver.

"So what are we going to do about their reactions to his nightmares?" She asked Sara, having already worked out that that was what Sara had wanted to talk to her about.

"I have an idea … but Oliver isn't going to like it." Sara hesitated briefly before continuing, knowing that whether or not her idea went ahead would be up to Felicity. "We need to show them what happens if they get too close. They need to see otherwise one of them, probably Laurel, is going to get seriously hurt and Oliver will tear himself apart with guilt." Sara was realistic enough to know that if any of the group was going to ignore the warnings and get too close then it would be her sister.

It hadn't escaped Sara's attention how yet again Roy had been close by and poised for action, ready to stop her if she tried to get any nearer. While she was pleased to see Roy behaving as a part of the Team and working with them again, it truly annoyed her how dense her sister was being to all of the signs that Oliver – and the whole the Team - were giving off. Even Moira had ordered Laurel to keep back!

Felicity nodded slowly, she had already worked out where this was going and what Sara had in mind and, whilst she wasn't keen on it, she could already comprehend that Sara was right. "So that it happens within our control you mean?"

"Yes. I need to get close, to shake him like Moira did that first night back. I need to let him throw me - let them see what he does."

"No." Felicity shook her head as she spoke.

"Felicity..." Sara started, only to be interrupted by her.

"It is a good idea and you're right we do need to do it. But it can't be you Sara, it needs to be me." Felicity finished knowing straight away how Sara was going to react to that.

"NO! You'll be hurt, you can't protect yourself enough yet. Your self-defense skills have come a long way - but there's no way you can go up against Oliver or stop him." Sara insisted, amazed at the way that Felicity yet again was willing to put herself in harm's way to help Oliver, even if that meant being harmed by him herself. Her devotion to him went so far beyond just being friends and Team Members and Sara couldn't help but wonder abstractly when the pair of them was going to realize just what they felt for each other.

"But that's exactly my point. My skills aren't that different to the others, especially to Laurel's. They need to see what can  _really_  happen – and you and Diggle need to be ready and free to stop him from going too far and doing something he'll truly regret." Felicity explained her reasoning, knowing that it had to be this way. Sara being thrown or hurt wasn't going to prove anything, plus her reactions were just as automatic as Oliver's so it wouldn't truly show what could happen anyway. Felicity didn’t say it, but she was also worried about what would happen if it went wrong and Sara got injured too. She knew that they needed Sara’s skills to protect (and train) the rest of them– especially with Oliver and Diggle injured already.

"More than hurting you, you mean?!" Sara said pointedly.

"Yes." Felicity replied gently but firmly. She knew that Sara and Diggle would be there ready to stop things from going too far. She trusted them to make sure that enough happened to prove a point to the rest but no more than was necessary.

Sara sighed as she followed Felicity's logic and thinking, understanding what she was getting at. As much as she didn't like it and it was  _not_ what she'd had in mind, she knew that Felicity was right. She was loathe to put her in any situation where she could come to harm, but Sara understood that Felicity was the only Team Member it could be. Diggle wouldn't be much more of a true demonstration than she would be, and Roy was too dangerous, too out of control still to risk. Regardless, it did  _not_  mean she was happy about it – and neither would Oliver be!

Sara briefly entertained the idea of not telling Oliver, of just letting it happen with only the rest of the Team aware of the plan – but she knew that Oliver would never forgive her for that and it would only serve to make his guilt worse. He found it hard enough to trust as it was, if they deceived him like that it could do some real damage. Whereas, if he knew about it and agreed (regardless of how reluctantly) then it wouldn't be quite so hard on him she hoped.

"Okay, but we need to speak to Diggle and Roy and get them on board before we speak to Oliver." Sara finally agreed.

**_Felicity's POV_ **

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes; Sara keeping watch, while Felicity simply watched the way the light in the clearing changed as day truly arrived banishing away the dark of night and with it the nightmares for another day she hoped.

"What's the plan for today?" Felicity asked as she began to notice faint stirrings amongst the others and knew they would soon be awake too.

"Training. Oliver is going to be giving Thea and Roy some archery lessons so I'll pair you with Moira and take Laurel myself. Walter and my Dad can pair up again. Diggle needs to rest but he can make observations and help out that way. Oliver really should rest too – but we both know that’s never going to happen!" Sara said as Felicity nodded her agreement. _At least if he’s teaching archery he’s not actually sparring!_

Felicity didn't fail to notice the slight overtones of annoyance as Sara spoke her sister's name and she suspected that Sara's intention of pairing up against her sister wasn't purely about training. Felicity found that she didn't have a problem with that either, Laurel needed to be taken down a few pegs and realize just how deadly life could be here. It was time people stopped protecting her and she found out what the real world was like outside of the courtroom and without Oliver there to rescue her every five minutes. 

She knew that Oliver would be too absorbed in training his own sister – and Roy – to worry about what was going on between the Lance sisters. Felicity also knew that Oliver was desperately trying not to get involved in things between them anymore, even if in many ways it was rather too late for that she acknowledged.

"Why is Oliver going to train Thea in archery, or continue with Roy's lessons, when we only have one bow?" Felicity asked curiously. She knew that it was a good idea to have more than one of them able to use the bow in case Oliver was injured –  _like now_  her brain supplied – but Sara was already more than competent with it too. Plus Roy's target practice hadn't exactly gone well to date.  _At least here there are no computer monitors for him to kill!_ She thought ruefully, still slightly upset with him for damaging her babies.

"You'll see soon enough." Sara said cryptically with a sly grin that had Felicity intrigued as well as somewhat concerned at the same time.

"She'll see what soon enough?" Oliver asked having come up behind the pair as Sara spoke.

"Why you're going to train Thea and Roy in archery when you only have one bow." She answered, still grinning as Oliver didn't say anything in return but just grinned as well - making Felicity more suspicious even as she was happy to see him genuinely smiling after everything that had happened in the past two days.

_Has it really only been two days? If this is what just two days feels like then what must have it been like for him to have been here for five years?_ She wondered sadly, her heart breaking all over again for everything her friend and partner had been through.  _No wonder he was so broken when he first returned._ Felicity thought back remembering how even Oliver's speech patterns had been stilted, a bit like how Sara's still were in many ways. She hoped with her whole heart that this time, having them all there with him, would stop him from breaking so badly -  _stop both of them from breaking so badly_ Felicity thought with a look to Sara.

"Ermm, are you sure that's a good idea Oliver? It didn't exactly go too well the last time you tried to teach me." Roy said pointedly as he and Diggle had now joined them too and had heard Sara's comment.

"At least there are no computer screens here for you to take out." Diggle answered smirking before backing up a step and holding up his hands in surrender as Felicity glared at him.

Much as she didn't appreciate the reference to her poor monitors, Felicity was happy to see the Team interacting and bantering with each other like this. It was good to see that none of them were letting events change the way they behaved. In spite of everything that had happened and that Slade had done, everything they’d found out that could have broken them apart or at the least weakened them, Team Arrow was still going strong.  _Go Team Arrow!_

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**AN2: Hope you like it? Please be kind enough to let me know your thoughts and comment/leave kudos, thank you!**


	22. Shado's Lesson

**Chapter 22 – Shado's Lesson**

**AN: So I've borrowed some dialogue from canon here again, that belongs to CW not me. Rennie thanks yet again for the speedy turnaround & Americanizing my language when I forget lol :D**

**Thank you as ever to all of you for sticking with me, for following, faving, and reviewing - your support means the world to me & keeps me writing, thank you!**

**Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by The CW, sigh!**

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_Much as she didn't appreciate the reference to her poor monitors, Felicity was happy to see the Team interacting and bantering with each other like this. It was good to see that none of them were letting events change the way they behaved. In spite of everything that had happened and that Slade had done, everything they'd found out that could have broken them apart or at the least weakened them, Team Arrow was still going strong. Go Team Arrow!_

**_Mixed POV_ **

The group broke into two as Sara had said, her group going to spar while Oliver took Thea and Roy off for archery lessons.

"Oliver, I know you've said you want to do this – but are you really sure it's a good idea?" Roy asked Oliver very quietly. He trusted Oliver's judgment, knew that here of all places he  _had_ to trust that judgment, but he and archery just really didn't seem to go.

"Yes." Oliver replied, making it clear that it was not up for discussion. He knew that Roy needed to learn control and archery was focused on that more than on anything else.

He took Roy and Thea into the woods a little way, to a small clearing that he'd already decided would be suitable for their initial training.

"So I know that you've both done archery before – with varied results – but it's time to learn to take it seriously. Thea, I know that you were just starting it at school when I left and Mom said you were good at it, but let's see what you can do." Oliver knew that before he could teach her anything he needed to see what her style and technique were like, whether she truly did have any talent or not. He also needed to see whether she would even be able to fully draw his bow, he knew how heavy the draw weight was on it.

"Okay, what am I shooting at?" Thea was more nervous than she wanted to let on, but was determined after everything that had been said the previous night that she _would_ be fighting with Team Arrow.  _If Ollie said this was the best way for me to do that then I_ am _going to master it._

In answer Oliver went over to a tree a fairly easy distance away and marked out a chalk target on it, just like he had used himself when he was learning. He went back to them and handed over the bow, refusing to allow himself to give her any pointers this time. He knew that he needed to truly see her abilities if he was going to help her.

"That's your target Thea. Here." Oliver handed over the bow, Shado's bow, to his sister feeling a sense of **déjà vu**  as he did so. He was pleased to see her feeling its weight as she moved it back and forth before she held out her hand for an arrow from his quiver.

"Remember, there are no safety arrows here Speedy." Oliver said gently but with a smile before he let go of the arrow.

Thea nodded, she nocked the bow after a couple of attempts but Oliver disregarded those, knowing it was just nerves. As she pulled back on the string for her first attempt at shooting it Oliver could see that Thea was struggling with the weight of the draw as he'd known she would. She did manage to draw it enough to fire the shot, although she didn't reach her anchor point before loosing the arrow. Her aim was a little wide and the arrow fell short of the target. Oliver was pleased with her first attempt though, even if he could see that she wasn't.

"Not too bad Speedy." Oliver commented with a small smile.

"You don't need to sugar-coat it Ollie." Thea replied, annoyed with herself.

Roy teased her laughingly "Next time try drawing the bow all the way."

"Let's see you do better then Roy Harper!" She replied indignantly, thrusting the bow at him in challenge and making Oliver laugh in turn.

Roy swallowed audibly at that but took the bow regardless. He held out his hand for an arrow but Oliver wasn't ready to just hand it over without a warning.

"Remember Roy, the draw on this is different to the compound, and it won't compensate if you overdraw it." Much as Oliver had plans to allow them all to be able to shoot if possible, he didn't want to risk Shado's bow being broken if Roy lost control.

Roy nodded his understanding and took the arrow Oliver then offered. Oliver was pleased to see Roy taking a couple of deep breaths before nocking the arrow, hopefully the younger man would remember some of the other things he'd tried to teach him as well.

Roy took aim and loosed the arrow. Just like with Thea's attempt, the arrow missed. However, unlike Thea's it went far beyond the target – his shot was totally wide of the mark though.

"Next time, aim." Oliver said with a grin, purposely using the same words from their practice back at the lair. This time it was Thea's turn to burst out laughing much to Roy's chagrin.

"Yours went wide too!" Roy said to Thea. As annoyed as he was with his shot, Roy was not surprised and was just glad that his failure had at least had the benefit of making Thea laugh and Oliver grin.

"There was a wind." Thea replied defensively.

"It may have escaped your attention, but we're outside Thea. There's always going to be a wind or a noise or something." Oliver responded lightly but still seriously.

"Alright then, you show us." Thea challenged and Oliver realized that unlike most of the others she had not really seen him shoot, except for that single standing shot outside the fuselage. When he had rescued her from The Hoods the light had been awful and there had been workmen's sheets everywhere.  _Time for a bit of fun he thought._

Oliver held out his hand to Roy for the bow. Roy hesitated much to Oliver's surprise though before speaking quietly to him. "Oliver, your arm?"

Thea gasped, in all the banter she had forgotten for just those few seconds it had taken to issue her challenge that her brother had been shot, in the arm no less so of course he wouldn't be able to shoot. "Sorry Oliver." Thea apologized feeling guilty.

"It's fine Thea." Oliver said, bemused as to why Roy would have said that. He knew that it would take more than that to stop the Arrow, had  _seen_ that first-hand on enough occasions after all. Watching Roy's face he realized that the younger man had done it on purpose though, he had wanted Thea to see just how little effect even a gunshot wound would have on her brother. Oliver nodded his understanding to Roy before holding his hand out again.

Roy moved to hand over the bow, glad that Oliver seemed to have understood his motives. People took the Arrow, took Oliver for granted too often and he had decided he was going to make sure that Thea at least understood just how strong and determined her brother really was. If they were going to go up against Slade and his Mirakuru enhanced army then it was important for Thea and the others to not be distracted by whatever injuries Oliver had at the time and that meant showing her that they wouldn't stop him.

As he handed it over he said a single word, intending for Oliver to make the point for him. "Parkour."

Oliver nodded in reply, now he had understood and agreed with Roy's intent he was willing to go along with his idea. He took the bow and ran off a fair way, ignoring the burning in his arm and on his torso. Pain was weakness, it was immaterial, and he would not allow it to dominate or control his actions. He scaled a tree at speed knowing that both their eyes were on him, the bow slung across him as he climbed. Oliver stopped at the top and unslung the bow before leaping onto a vine, swinging out and jumping down onto the ground, landing in a roll and firing as he came out of it. He was well over twice the distance that the others had been from the target and he easily hit the target dead center, despite the gust of wind that had crossed them as he was aiming.

"Woh!" Thea responded utterly stunned. "How do you even do that? How can you calculate the angles and everything that _fast_? You were never  _that_  good at math!"

"Thanks for reminding me Thea!" Oliver replied somewhat wryly. "But I don't calculate anything. You don't need to."

"Then how do you know what you're doing?" Thea objected.

"Trust yourself, trust your senses."

"Oliver not all of us have super senses like you." Thea stated bluntly.

"She's got a point there man." Roy agreed.

"When I first learnt this I didn't have super senses either and I had  _no idea_ what I was doing. I didn't hit my target right away either." Oliver said, remembering his first practice with Shado with a smile.

"So how did you learn, who taught you?" Thea asked, intrigued by the smile that had momentarily flashed across her brother's face. She wasn't used to seeing him smile when he was remembering the Island,  _remembering this place._

Oliver thought for a moment before deciding to tell her. If they were going to get back to how they used to be then he needed to talk about all this more he knew.  _I was right though, this isn't easy even though I want to tell her._ Remembering Shado now was painful, but if he was to honor her then they needed to know who she was, to know more than just that she was the one Ivo shot. He nodded infinitesimally to himself as he made the decision to tell them more about Shado than just what Sara had in the cave last night.

"Shado. She wasn't just the one I fell in love with, she was Yao Fei's daughter – and she was the one who taught me to shoot with a bow. This bow belonged to her and Yao Fei before her, as did this Hood that I wear. I wear it to honor her memory."

All at once Thea understood why Oliver had hesitated before answering. Shado. The one Ivo shot, the reason that Slade was doing all this in the first place.  _No wonder his speech is stilted again talking about this._

"Tell me about her, how did she teach you?" Thea prompted gently. She knew that he would find it hard, that he was finding it hard, but she'd seen that smile and wanted to help him focus on something that had made him happy – no matter how briefly.

"When she first taught me I didn't listen, didn't register what it was she was telling me. But even though it didn't work that day it was still what she said to me then that finally taught me how to shoot." Oliver met his sister's eyes as he spoke, making a point of not hiding his emotions for once. Oliver went on to relate the tale for them both, remembering it all so clearly as he spoke, her words, his answers.

" _Set your sight … hit the tree." Shado said calmly_

_Oliver fired, missing completely, the arrow going off wild somewhere into the forest._

" _Probably hit_ _a tree." He said with an attempt at a light-hearted smile._

" _Set your sight … hit the tree." She simply repeated to him._

_Again Oliver aimed and again he missed._

" _Steady your anchor point." Shado said calmly, continually patient with him._

Oliver chose not to tell them how Slade had come up then, simply telling them how badly he’d sucked before moving on.

" _Try again." Shado said._

" _Okayyy." Again Oliver missed._

" _Try again."_

_Oliver simply sighed in response, knowing that this wasn't getting them anywhere. He sucked at this, Slade was right and there was no way he would be able to cover them to infiltrate Fyers' camp._

" _You're thinking too much." Shado stated, making Oliver laugh slightly as he replied._

" _Nobody ever accused me of that before!"_

Thea laughed too, picturing the scene in her mind. Oliver had been right, there was no way that anybody would have accused that Oliver of thinking too much!

_Shado took the bow and fired off two perfect shots, one standing, one kneeling, without even hesitating or stopping._

Oliver took the same shots demonstrating Shado's words just as she had done with him.

" _Show off!" Oliver said, impressed and proud of her, while seriously doubting he'd ever be able to do the same._

" _I see my target in the distance … I feel the variation in the wind … I hear the bowstring tighten … and I let go. Give in to your senses … don't think." Shado spoke the words that Oliver would never forget, even if he didn't truly understand what she meant or how she did that then._

"That's how I shoot. There are no calculations Thea, no thinking. I simply see my target, I let my senses be aware of what's around me, the wind, the people. I hear the bowstring tighten and I loose the arrow. That's what you need to do too. Give in to your senses, don't think." Oliver finished as again he demonstrated Shado's words, her lesson.

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**AN2: So for anyone who may be wondering, yes nocked/nocking, loose, anchor point, safety arrows, and draw weight are all archery terms.**

**Please be kind enough to fav, follow, and/or review to let me know what you think? Thank you!**


	23. Bruce Lee

**Chapter 23 – Bruce Lee**

**AN: Sorry for the delay, I was updating 'Questions' & needed to do that before I could get the Muse back to 'The Island' lol.**

**Rennie I owe you big time on this chapter hun, thank you for keeping me going & encouraging me throughout this stubborn one!**

**Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by The CW, sigh!**

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_"That's how I shoot. There are no calculations Thea, no thinking. I simply see my target, I let my senses be aware of what's around me, the wind, the people. I hear the bowstring tighten and I loose the arrow. That's what you need to do too. Give in to your senses, don't think." Oliver finished as again he demonstrated Shado's words, her lesson._

**_Diggle's POV_ **

Whilst Oliver, Thea, and Roy had been off doing the archery training, the others had all been with Sara to work on their sparring and self-defense techniques. Sara had paired them up the way she had planned when talking with Felicity that morning. Diggle had offered to demonstrate with her, but Sara had felt it would be less intimidating to the group if they saw that Felicity could manage each of the katas she was teaching them. 

Diggle was fully aware that Sara was using that as an excuse so that he could rest after the events of yesterday. However, he acknowledged it was still a valid point and so he let it slip even though he didn't feel he needed the rest. Diggle appreciated the concern she was showing though as, after all, it wasn't all that long ago that Sara hadn't even considered anyone else in her plans at all.

While Sara and Felicity were breaking down each kata for the others to see, Diggle took care to watch the faces and body language of the group, taking in their reactions, the looks of concern, and the concentration levels of each so that he would know who they would need to be careful with and who would need the most help. Once they had grasped the basic moves, he moved around the group observing, teaching, and correcting the stances and moves as they practiced the katas again and again.

Laurel was going to continue to be a problem sure, but Diggle knew that Sara was going to be partnering with her so he would leave her to sort her sister out herself. He had  _no_ intention of getting between the pair, to do so would be almost as stupid as getting between Felicity and Oliver and his sense of self-preservation was far too well developed to allow for that unnecessarily.

As he walked around the group Diggle could see that Lance and Walter were doing well. Lance obviously had some training from his years on the force; and Walter had admitted that after his abduction he had taken some self-defense classes, realizing how woefully inadequate his skills had previously been in that area. Neither of them was good by their standards of course, but still they both had a good working foundation and Diggle knew that was something they could build on.

Felicity, of course,had been working with the rest of Team Arrow and her skills had really started to improve, along with her reaction times over the past few months, especially since their run in with Stephen Tockman – the Clock King. He was most worried about Moira though as she had never done any type of self-defense at all and she was the only one of the group who hadn't. She seemed to have a real difficulty with the concept of attacking and would only do the minimum of defense that she had to in order to block the hits from Felicity. Diggle knew they would have to do something about that very soon.

It had surprised him to be honest as he knew just how ruthless the woman could be when it came to business or to her family. He had assumed that would transfer over into her fighting style as well. It suddenly occurred to Diggle that Sara hadn’t mentioned her being so hesitant yesterday when she was paired with Laurel.  _Maybe it's just that she's loathe to hurt Felicity_ , he thought, especially after she  _finally_  apologized to her last night. Felicity had told him about that while Moira went to talk to Oliver. Diggle was still reserving judgment on that one, after everything Moira had done in the past two years - and in particular her words to Felicity - he was not as willing to accept her apology as Felicity had been.

Laurel did have some good skills and had clearly taken a lot from the self-defense classes Lance had made her take. However, she had a tendency to overextend and that was causing her to be slower to react and to do the transitions from one move to the next than she would otherwise be capable of. Also it meant that she was vulnerable to falling or being pushed over. She just did not have a strong enough base and it seemed that Laurel was ignoring the pointers that Sara was trying to remind her of from yesterday. He knew that overextension was a common enough problem with beginners and it was something Felicity had struggled with as well, the difference was that she had been willing to listen and practice again and again until she had finally mastered it.

Laurel had clearly never gone up against anybody with any real skills and so was arrogant in her fighting style, which again showed in her over-extension. Diggle knew that the arrogance would be likely to end soon enough though as he could see that Sara had decided she'd had enough. Watching Sara he knew they were only minutes away from  _something_ happening and he couldn't resist positioning himself where he would be able to both overhear and see everything clearly –  _whilst keeping an eye on the others of course,_  he told himself.

**_Sara's POV_ **

Sara had been taking it easy on her sister to start with, wanting to see how much attention Laurel paid to the katas they were meant to be practicing and what her style was like before taking things further. Although yesterday Laurel had done them, even if she hadn't been that keen then either, she could see instantly that Laurel thought these moves were too basic and had had enough of them today, but Sara disagreed. Despite the self-defense classes she'd done, in her view Laurel was still making a lot of fundamental errors and in this kind of fight that could well get her killed. The League had drummed into Sara so thoroughly that it was impossible to move on without a solid foundation that it annoyed her to see that Laurel’s teachers had apparently not put much emphasis on this.

Sara still remembered how surprised she'd been when Nyssa had quoted Bruce Lee - "Fear not the man who has practices 10,000 different kicks, but fear the man that has practiced one kicking technique 10,000 different times." Yet she knew that Nyssa had been right. Laurel might know quite a few different skills and they might be enough to go up against the kind of lowlifes she'd find in the Glades – or against Max Fuller's bouncers (Oliver had told her about that, admitting how hard it had been to have to hold back and hide his skills like that) – but that was a whole other world to going up against Slade and his Mirakuru army! Laurel needed the strong foundation that could only come from repeating the basics continually until they were a natural part of her.

Laurel's style was altogether overconfident and arrogant, and she used that to hide her inaccuracies and lack of precision. She didn't hold back, but instead would overextend her moves leaving her vulnerable to attack. Ra's Al Ghul had always taught them that their fighting style showed their current personality and Sara couldn't help thinking what that showed about Laurel. It showed a lack of respect for her opponents as well – which in this case would be deadly – and not necessarily just for her. After practicing with her sister for a while and seeing no real improvement, Sara decided that she needed to watch Laurel sparring before deciding how to proceed.

"Felicity, would you mind sparring with Laurel so I can watch for a few minutes? Moira, you can take ten if that's okay?" Sara asked quietly.

"Sure." Felicity answered, going over to Laurel as Moira went to sit down next to Diggle.

Sara watched them go through the katas a few more times, but her observations only served to confirm what she'd known from the beginning of sparring practice yesterday. It was time to teach Laurel what it was like to fight someone who wouldn't back down or give way.  _Besides, it won't hurt to take Laurel down a peg or two and to teach her to listen to those who know better and are only trying to keep her safe._

"You're overextending again, you need to watch that stance." Sara pointed out, giving Laurel one last chance to respond with respect to her sparring partner, her instructor, and the lesson itself. Regardless of her relationship to her instructor, Sara knew how important it was to show that kind of respect. If you didn't respect your instructor then you wouldn't respect their teaching. In the League disrespect was utterly unthinkable, Nyssa would  _never_ have allowed it even once they were together, and Sara was not willing to tolerate it here either.

**_Mixed POV_ **

"There's nothing wrong with my stance." Laurel replied annoyed at the way Sara was picking on her.  _It isn't as if I'm a complete beginner after all!_

_Chance over._  Sara decided to take things up a level. She glanced briefly at Diggle, having noticed his change in viewing position with no little amusement, and was pleased to see that he agreed with her assessment.

"Okay Laurel. You think that you don't need to practice these katas is that right? Do you feel confident with them?" There was a hint of warning in Sara's voice, but it appeared that Felicity and Diggle were the only ones who picked up on that.

"Yes! I've done these enough times Sara, I know what I'm doing." Laurel answered, peeved with the attitude her little sister was taking with her.

"Okay then, let's do them for real this time instead of just rehearsing them again. Felicity, would you mind practicing with Moira again while I spar with Laurel?" Sara asked sweetly.

Felicity was concerned by the sweetness in Sara's voice, she knew her well enough to recognize the threat that represented – yet somehow it appeared that Laurel hadn't noticed it. Felicity glanced at Diggle, seeing that he'd picked up on it too, but she decided to follow his lead and not comment on it. Apparently it was time for Laurel to learn a lesson or two. "Sure Sara, no problem." She replied, before going back to practicing with Moira.

Sara took up her opening stance, waiting for Laurel to do the same. She took the role of the attacker, just as Felicity had, as she was intending to show Laurel just what would happen if she continued with this arrogance and the over-extending. Sara had already decided she didn't have a problem with any of them picking up a few minor injuries during their sparring, especially if it helped them to improve.  _After all, it's not as if I'm going to replicate the League's methods or anything,_  she thought wryly.

Laurel took the opposing stance, at least she was starting out correctly Sara noted. Laurel began doing the blocks correctly as well, if somewhat arrogantly, while Sara was using the same speed as for the practice. However, Sara then sped up very slightly and it took Laurel completely off guard. In response she overreached with her next blocking move as Sara had known she would. Then, instead of Sara going into the next hit at the same speed she slowed back down again. Because of the overextension Laurel's stance was weak and her momentum caused her to overbalance and fall over. Sara let her go, not making any effort to stop her.

Laurel got back up quickly enough with a glare at Sara, who was completely impervious to it and had already returned to the starting stance. "Attackers aren't always going to stick to the same speed Laurel, you have to be prepared to change it up a little." She pointed out calmly.

Diggle couldn't but think back to when Oliver had used those very words to demonstrate the same thing – except Oliver had done it with a blow to his cheek from a steel baton and Diggle decided that Laurel was getting off lightly.

Again they went through the same kata. This time Laurel was prepared for the changing speed, but not for Sara to start one of the hits before pulling back, turning it into a feint instead. Again Laurel lost her balance as her stance was not grounded and she stumbled badly, catching her balance just in time to stop her hitting the ground. Laurel was really getting annoyed now Sara could see and it was time to explain a little more.

"This is why it's important to have a strong foundation. If your stance isn't right, if you're not grounded properly, then it doesn't matter what else you learn you will  _always_ be vulnerable." Sara said, hoping that the physical demonstration would get through to Laurel were words alone had not been able to.

"You didn't stick to the kata though!" Laurel responded in a peeved tone. She had  _not_  appreciated being shown up by her little sister like that.

"And that's exactly my point Laurel." Sara insisted. "You've gotten so used to your classes where the same moves are always used in response – and the only people you've fought have done the same thing too. Slade and his guys are  _not_ going to do that. They will  _not_ be predictable, they will change the speed around, and they will do things that are completely unexpected. You need to have a back-up plan and a variety of options. But equally it's no good knowing a lot of different moves if you don't have that strong foundation."

Sara paused, seeing that Laurel was actually starting to listen – at least a little, but she knew it still wasn't enough, yet. "Fear not the man who has practices 10,000 different kicks, but fear the man that has practiced one kicking technique 10,000 different times."

"Bruce Lee?" Lance said querying.

Diggle watched, unsurprised, as Lance and Walter gave up all pretense of continuing with their own sparring and they were quickly followed by Felicity and Moira. He had already seen that from the moment Sara had started to teach Laurel the concentration levels of the others had dropped.  _Can't really blame them, especially when I've just done the same thing._  Diggle thought with a small smirk as he caught Felicity's eye knowingly.

"Nothing wrong with Bruce Lee Dad – I learnt that one from my … instructors." Sara had hesitated ever so slightly, not really knowing what to call Nyssa and not really wanting to tell them all about the League yet either if she could help it. She caught her Dad's eye and knew he had both noticed and understood from the tiny nod he gave in response to her words.

"You've been doing this for years though Sara, how can you expect me to be able to fight you?!" Laurel replied, annoyed at the way Sara was treating her.

Sara had been expecting that though and had already prepared her answers. "Slade has been fighting far longer than me and he's not going to give you any leeway for your inexperience." Sara argued, continuing before Laurel had a chance to respond. "But if that's how you feel why don't you spar with Felicity again. You've been training far longer than she has after all – and this time you can both use whatever moves you want."

"If that's alright with you of course Felicity?" Sara asked and again her voice was sweeter than normal, which Felicity took that to mean Sara expected her to 'change it up a little' as well. Felicity glanced at her to be certain though and was surprised to see a look which clearly showed Sara was giving her the opportunity to get her own back for all the slights Laurel had given her over the past two years. Apparently Sara had had enough now too. Felicity looked to Diggle to confirm his agreement which he showed instantly without needing to actually use words, as usual.

 “Sure. Laurel?” Felicity asked, only for Laurel to take up the beginning stance again in response. She realized was looking forward to this more than she’d expected to. After all, the others still thought of her purely as, at most, the IT girl on the Team. She’d learnt a fair amount since becoming a part of Team Arrow and even more since Tockman had shot her.

Diggle grinned at Sara, knowing that she’d engineered this all along even if she was unlikely to admit to it. Sara had proved her own points about Laurel’s foundation by making her fall over without even laying a hand on her. He’d already noticed how annoyed she’d been with her sister for ignoring Felicity about the Tylenol, amongst other things. It was time for Felicity to prove Oliver’s point about not underestimating people!

Sara came over and sat next to Diggle as Felicity and Laurel got started. Neither were surprised to see that Laurel started out making all the aggressive moves while Felicity held back, watching and evaluating her opponent. They were pleased to see how much she’d taken on board, especially in the relatively short period of time since Tockman. Felicity used Laurel’s weaknesses against her, allowing her to overextend before using Laurel’s own momentum as she pulled on her throwing her to the ground.

“Nice!” Diggle murmured approvingly, knowing that he had spoken quietly enough for only Sara to hear.

Felicity quickly followed up the throw, not allowing Laurel to recover from her mistakes. This time she used Laurel’s arrogance to correctly anticipate and sidestep a blow at the last second, causing Laurel to go sprawling. Again, she capitalized on the error and it wasn’t long before she had Laurel pinned in a hold that Laurel was unable to break.

“Well done Felicity.” Oliver said, much to the surprise of all except Sara and Diggle.

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**AN2: Opinions? Please be sweet enough to let me know what you think guys, thank you! :D**


	24. Reactions

**Chapter 24 – Reactions**

**AN:** **Rennie75 is the best beta in the world ever. Thank you so much for being such a true friend & wonderful support – my work would be nothing without you!**

**Finally, huge thanks to both Rennie & KenyanCougar for both doing your best to keep me spoiler free – your efforts are greatly appreciated girls!**

**Disclaimer: Arrow is still owned by The CW, big sigh!**

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_Felicity quickly followed up the throw, not allowing Laurel to recover from her mistakes. This time she used Laurel's arrogance to correctly anticipate and sidestep a blow at the last second, causing Laurel to go sprawling. Again, she capitalized on the error and it wasn't long before she had Laurel pinned in a hold that Laurel was unable to break._

" _Well done Felicity." Oliver said, much to the surprise of all except Sara and Diggle._

**_Mixed POV_ **

Laurel and Felicity both turned in surprise, neither had realized that Oliver had rejoined them, or that Thea and Roy were right behind him too for that matter. Laurel was highly embarrassed that Oliver had seen her fighting and her fall before being pinned by Felicity. She couldn't believe that the IT girl had taken her down, especially since she  _knew_  that she had been studying this stuff a lot longer than Felicity had. Much as she hated to admit it, her analytical brain forced her to admit that the only reason this had happened was because Sara was right.  _My foundation is too weak – and I do overextend._

Felicity for her part was pleased that Oliver had seen her win the fight. She had worked so hard at the sparring, practicing over and over the katas that the Team had taught her. She'd even been putting in extra practice with Sara whenever Oliver wasn't around, determined that the bad guys were going to stop seeing her as the weak link, the one that they could use to get to Oliver. Much as she had wanted to learn new moves, she recognized the experience of the Team and all of them had agreed that without a solid foundation you couldn't get anywhere.  _Even Roy's admitted that the reason he was able to beat so many of the guys who were bigger than him in the Glades was because they fought arrogantly without bothering to have a firm base to what they were doing._

Moira had been very surprised by the fight between Felicity and Laurel, she had never expected Felicity to have any real talent for this, after all she worked in IT for goodness sakes. She assumed that Laurel had been training for years, that she had been forced to learn because her dad was a cop and also because of the type of people CNRI had gone up against. It would seem that of the two, Felicity had taken things more seriously however. She supposed that that shouldn't have surprised her after everything else that they had found out over the past three days, but somehow it still had.  _I see there was no need to hold back when practicing with her after all._

Diggle and Sara had both been pleased with the way the fight had gone and they were proud of all the work that Felicity had been putting in.  _Looks like all those extra practice sessions with Sara were worth it, even if she doesn't think we know about them,_ Diggle thought. He knew that it had been necessary to take Laurel down a few pegs. Before they could truly teach her she had to accept the truth of what they were saying. _Although, from the look on her face it looks like Felicity may have just got some of that through to her – let's hope so_ Diggle thought grimly.

Walter was surprised but happily impressed.  _Always knew she was a remarkable woman, looks like I did the right thing in giving Oliver her name after all, even if I wish she had never been caught up in all this._ He thought, even as he accepted that it was just as much his fault that she had become involved in it all.  _I was the one who asked her to look into Tempest, into the notebook._ He was just relieved that she had clearly found her place on Team Arrow – and apparently learnt some new skills along the way too. Walter still felt responsible for dragging her into the whole thing, but now he was somewhat reassured by the fact that the Team clearly valued her highly and had taken pains to teach her how to defend herself as well.

Lance had been completely stunned by the way the fight had gone. He knew how long Laurel had been taking those classes, but he suddenly realized he hadn't really ever seen her fight. If he had he probably would have tried to point out her weak foundation as that was something he could remember being drummed into him back at the Academy, but he knew it was unlikely she would have listened to him anyway.  _Looks like Sara finally found a way to get through to her big sister – shouldda known Felicity would be the key._

 Roy couldn't help grinning. He knew that neither woman had been aware that they had returned, so they had been able to watch the fight unobserved. He knew what it felt like to be put down continually and so to see Felicity be able to put Laurel down after all the snide comments she had had to listen to from Laurel was immensely satisfying for him. He had glanced at Thea a few times and knew that she was impressed by Felicity, it seemed that her confidence in the Team was increasing with every new skill they revealed. He was just glad that they could make her feel safer, Thea was the center of his world. J _ust as Felicity is the center of Oliver's even if neither of them will admit to it yet! Only a blind man could miss the look of pride on her face at his compliment – or the look of pride on his at what she'd just been able to do for that matter!_

Roy was still very worried at his own lack of mastery of the archery, despite the time that they had been practicing he had made very little improvement, even though Thea had improved thankfully. _It seems that a natural talent for archery runs in the Queen family_ he thought wryly. Obviously she still had a long way to go before she was anything like Oliver – but at least her aim was better than his. He just didn't know what Oliver was going to do about the draw weight, it was far too heavy for Thea to use as it was. For that matter, he couldn't see why Oliver was going to all this trouble when they only had one bow between them.

Oliver was unbelievably proud of Felicity. He knew just how hard she had been working at her training, somehow finding the time to even fit in extra practice sessions with Sara  _even if she thinks I don't know about them_ _he thought with a hint of a smile._ He could see from Laurel's face that she was finally listening to them, that she had finally started to accept what they had been trying to tell her. If it took embarrassing Laurel to do that then so be it. It was much kinder than the way he and Sara had been trained after all! He was glad that Sara had found a way to involve Felicity in the lesson, allowing her to get some of the satisfaction that she had deserved for all the times that Laurel had put her down – even if Felicity would never had admitted to wanting or needing that. Felicity's face had been a picture when she had heard him speak and finally realized that he was there.

Oliver moved into the clearing followed by Thea and Roy who was carrying the game Oliver had recovered from the traps on the way back. "You've made a lot of progress, good work." Oliver said letting the pride be heard in his voice. "How's the rest of the training going Sara?"

"Good, there's a variety of skill levels as you know and we have a _lot_ of work to do, but most of them are getting the hang of the basic foundation work." Sara purposely met Oliver's eyes as she said that. The point had been made to Laurel already and there was no need to rub it in any further until they had seen if Laurel was really ready to pay attention now or not. "How about the archery?" She asked in turn.

"Roy's aim still needs … practice." Oliver replied making Roy give a short laugh and Diggle and Sara both smirked too, remembering all too well what Roy's aim was like. "Thea has some talent, but not enough strength yet. Plus the draw weight is too heavy for her on this bow."

"I see a bowl of water in your future Thea." Roy said cryptically, much to Thea's bemusement.

"What?" Thea queried. She didn't understand what her boyfriend was going on about now,  _nothing new there,_ or why it was that Team Arrow were all grinning at that comment.

"You'll find out soon enough." Diggle answered still grinning.

"That dinner Roy?" Sara asked deciding it was time to move things on a little. "Take a break everyone while we sort the food out."

"I've got it Sara, you need to train too." Felicity replied much to the surprise of the other Team Members who were all too familiar with her dislike of blood. "What? It's not like there's a Big Belly Burger around here."

"Thank you Felicity." Oliver said, accepting her offer before putting his bow and quiver down at the edge of the clearing. "You guys ready?" He queried to Sara and Diggle.

"Oliver, you're not seriously thinking of training in the state that you and Diggle are still in, are you?" Walter questioned, concerned for them.

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**AN2: Please be kind enough to feed the Muse by reviewing?!** **You make me so happy by following, faving, and/or reviewing!**


	25. Questions

**Chapter 25 – Questions**

**AN: T** **his fast update again is only possible because of the amazing beta work of Rennie75 - 3 cheers for Rennie!**

**Disclaimer: Arrow is still owned by The CW, big sigh!**

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" _Thank you Felicity." Oliver said, accepting her offer before putting his bow and quiver down at the edge of the clearing. "You guys ready?" He queried to Sara and Diggle._

" _Oliver, you're not seriously thinking of training in the state that you and Diggle are still in, are you?" Walter questioned, concerned for them._

**_Mixed POV_ **

Oliver looked around and to his surprise he realized that the same looks of concern were mirrored on the faces of the other non-Team Members. "Slade Wilson will not wait for us to recover or heal, you don't get time out in the middle of a fight because you're injured. If you want to survive then you have to train. Besides Walter, I've been injured far worse than this before – we both have." Oliver said bluntly, understanding that they still weren't comprehending just how life and death this whole Island was. It had been dangerous enough with Fyers in control, it was worse with Slade!

He turned to face the center of the clearing where Sara and Diggle were now standing ready and they began to train. As always, they trained hard and fast with no-one giving any leeway or making any allowances for injuries. Nothing was off limits and Thea was ignored when she gasped on behalf of her brother when Diggle caught his wounded arm with the bamboo baton. Apart from a small hiss however Oliver didn't react and he didn't even hesitate to respond in kind as he sped up and spun round catching Diggle across the cheek in turn.

"Thought you would have remembered that one Digg." Oliver said without stopping.

"I did. Just still didn't manage to dodge it." Diggle replied dryly, making Sara bark out a laugh which was then cut off as Oliver and Diggle both caught her at almost the same time in return.

Thea was still stunned by seeing them train, she was worried for her brother and Diggle even though she could see that they clearly weren't worried. She knew they must be in pain, yet somehow they were not only ignoring that pain but were actively conquering it and fighting regardless. She couldn't understand how they could do that, let alone how they could manage to banter at the same time.

"Yeah, they're always like that." Felicity said as Roy nodded in agreement, both had seen the look on Thea's face and wanted to reassure her. "Despite appearances they do know their own limits though Thea so you don't need to worry about them okay."  _Well, Sara and Diggle know their limits anyway, not so sure about Oliver some of the time._

The training continued, the three of them only stopping once dinner was cooked. Everyone sat down together in the clearing to eat by unspoken agreement. Whilst it was daylight they didn't want to have to spend any more time in the cave than they had to. The conversation was general and light to start with but Oliver could tell that several of them were holding back on questions that they wanted to ask. He decided that as much as much as he didn't like talking about his past, it was better to do it in daylight when everyone was fairly relaxed, rather than in the dark when they were all on edge after a nightmare. The only thing he preferred about talking in the dark was that they couldn't all see his face properly. He looked around observing the body language and tension in each of them, trying to work out what they wanted to ask before deciding who was best to start with.

"What did you want to ask Walter?" Oliver said, having made his choice.

Walter looked at him hesitating for a second before asking anyway. "How do you do that, fight despite the pain? How do you train as hard as you do without worrying about any pain you cause each other?"

"You mean Diggle hitting my arm." Oliver replied.

"Yes, amongst other things." Walter nodded.

"Train hard, fight easy. That's what it all boils down to. The idea is to incapacitate your opponent with the minimal amount of effort possible. So we don't aim to find the hits that will hurt the most, but we don't avoid them either. If there is any real damage then we do stop straight away and deal with them, do whatever stitches are medically necessary. But apart from that we keep going regardless. Whilst there is no malice you do need to get used to keeping going when you are hurt." Oliver tried to explain it.

"It's not as if the other guys are going to stop if they hurt you after all." Sara said.

"Besides, you only get hurt if you don't react fast enough, if you're distracted, or if those you're fighting are better than you. Sometimes you can't help being distracted, it happens. But you can help your reaction speed, you can help how skilled you are. So we work as hard as we can to try to make sure that we're the more skilled ones.” Diggle spoke in turn.

"Like remembering what moves someone's made before." Roy couldn't help adding – knowing full well that Thea was curious about Oliver's comment to Diggle.

Oliver and Sara laughed in response while Diggle tried and failed to look offended. "I didn't say we always succeed – just that we try."

Oliver smothered his laughter a bit as he explained, having also seen the query on Thea's face. "I did that move over a year ago when we were sparring in the lair, caught him pretty hard that time too."

"Yeah, with a steel baton that time." Diggle added pretending to be peeved, but at the same time wanting to let them know that they took it seriously enough to train with steel bars.

Oliver just shrugged in reply. "Not as if I didn't let you get your own back later Digg!" He said thinking of when Diggle-Vigilante had 'captured' him and his Mom.

Felicity had been following the whole conversation closely too and knew instantly what Oliver was referring to. She also had sensed several times over the past couple of days that Moira had still been upset and confused about that, but that she hadn't dared to bring it up. Felicity decided that as Moira had now made the effort to apologize she would make it easier on her.

"Yeah, the one time you were meant to pull your punches!" She said pointedly to Diggle.

"I did!" Diggle responded quick as anything.

"Okay, would you guys mind not talking in code here? You might be able to have entire conversations in a couple of words, but the rest of us can't." Lance said just as pointedly, having given up all attempts to keep up and knowing full well they were talking about something else now.

Oliver looked at Diggle who raised an eyebrow and Oliver knew that he was saying  _Might as well tell them, you know your Mom's still upset about that_ even though Diggle never actually said a word. He glanced at Felicity who nodded too, so he took a calming breath and began to explain.

"Back before the Undertaking we knew that something was going on but we didn't have enough information to stop it. We'd tried everything we could think of and had run out of options. As the Vigilante I'd already had one conversation with my Mom as you know."

"When I shot you." Moira cut in bitterly.

"I told you it's fine Mom, you were scared and didn't think you had any choice." Oliver tried to reassure her before continuing. He knew this was going to be hard on her but he owed her the explanation and the others deserved to know how far they were willing to go to do what was needed. "So anyway, we decided that as Mom had used me and Thea to beg for her life, she would be willing to tell us what was going on if she thought I was going to be hurt." Oliver looked around evaluating their faces and the various looks before he continued, knowing that they probably weren't going to be very impressed with what they'd done but still feeling it had been justified.

"Diggle wore the costume to 'capture' my Mom and me. He used the voice changer so she had no idea who he was, that he wasn't really the Vigilante. He questioned her but she wouldn't answer to start with." Oliver paused slightly.

"I was too scared of Malcolm Merlyn." Moira supplied, remembering that night and the fear she had felt all too well.

"So I nodded very slightly at Diggle to tell him to go to the next stage, that it was time to not just threaten me." Again Oliver hesitated seeing the pain in his Mom's face and the accusation in the faces of Thea and Laurel.

Diggle saw their faces too, along with Oliver's and decided to cut in. "So I followed our plan and hit Oliver a few times to make her think he was in real danger."

"A few times? You knocked him over. You scared the wits out of me, I thought you were going to kill him!" Moira couldn't hold back any longer.

"So that's what you meant by pulling punches." Lance said to Felicity seeing that they were in danger of going too far into the memories and pain of the past.

Felicity nodded her agreement as Oliver spoke up again.

"He really did pull his punches Mom." Oliver ignored Felicity's snort as he continued. "I let that chair fall over with me in it. If I'd wanted to I could have stopped it. Diggle was following  _my_  orders and he waited for  _me_  to make the call Mom. I'm sorry we scared you but we needed that information – and we used it to figure out enough to direct Lance to find the first device and for Felicity to be able to lead him through deactivating it to save the other half of the Glades. I am sorry you were so scared, but it was the right choice to make at the time." Oliver could see they were taking in his words and he had been careful to emphasize that it had been his orders so that nobody would blame Diggle.

"Besides, it's not as if a few punches would hurt me Mom and I didn't want you to be hurt either. Anyway, like I said, I was letting Diggle get his own back for that blow with the steel baton amongst other things." Oliver finished with a small laugh, trying to lighten the mood again.

Thea was pretty upset by what she had just heard and had been shocked to discover the lengths they had gone to in order to try to save the Glades. Despite how hard it was to hear this stuff, she was proud of her brother and wanted to help him. She could see that he was trying – and failing – to lighten the mood, so decided it was time to change the subject.

"So what did you mean by a bowl of water being in my future?" She asked, again bemused when her question was met with laughter from Team Arrow.

* * *

**AN2: What did you think peeps? Please let me know, thank you!**

**Author's Note:**

> AN3: OK so this first chapter was basically an establishing one, sorry – but it was needed to set up the rest going forward. I really hope that you will stick with this fic, it is going to have a complete mixture of angst, friendship, hurt/comfort, team fic, family, & if the Muse is willing – Olicity fluff :-D Please do let me know what you think, fav, follow, & reviews are all very wonderful to me! Thank you!


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